Chapter 8

Sanzo was looking at Hakkai like he'd grown another head. Surely the comment, "Goku isn't dead, he's the one that 'killed' us." - hadn't come from the fair mannered man's mouth. He isn't the one who makes jokes in bad taste.

"What? You don't believe me?" Hakkai said as he took slow, shallow breaths. He was looking at Sanzo trying to make an assessment. Trying to gauge the reaction he will get from the buozo.

Sanzo on the other hand, never showed any outward emotion when inside he was swirling with many different conflicts. He knew Hakkai would never lie. But then the saru isn't capable of doing this either. Sure he may be naïve and stupid but he isn't disloyal. He is friends with these two and Goku is honor bound. Instead of answering directly, he answered with another question.

"What makes you think that Goku is the one behind this?" He asked keeping his gaze on Hakkai, steady and unwavering.

"I am not saying that Goku is behind this. I do not hold any resentment on him. What I'm saying is that, indeed, he's the one who bore down his nyoibo on my head and left me to bleed to death..."

"And..." Sanzo prompted.

"Someone pulled the strings for him. He was used against us."

"Someone I know?" The buozo asked his voice steady. Hakkai could clearly see though in Sanzo's eyes, the burning rage.

"I'll tell you all I know... Later. Surely you do not mean to forget to check on Gojyo? I believe he is still breathing however shallowly." Hakkai said a teasing smile on his lips. When his strength had given up on him, he slept.

When Sanzo was assured that Hakkai was going to be alright, he went to the kappa's side to inspect his wounds. True to Hakkai's words, Gojyo was still alive though barely. He was dismayed to find out that Gojyo's wound were far more severe that Hakkai's.

He assumed that Gojyo all but fought with Goku first before he was delivered with an almost fatal blow to the head. Sanzo tore up more sections of his robe to wrap it around the kappa's head to slow down the flow and gingerly picked him up. He knew he can't tend the two's injuries. He's going to need help on this.

He carried Gojyo first to the jeep then went back for Hakkai. When he came back with the monocled one Hakuryu gave out a squeak. Sanzo interpreted this as Hakuryu's worried signal or whatever you call that noise the little dragon makes.

"He will be alright, although I am sorry to inform you that I will be the one driving you tonight." Sanzo said conversationally to the jeep, who meeped softly. The buozo knows how picky Hakuryu can be. As far as he knows, the little dragon only lets Hakkai drive and order him around. The little pest bows to no one else.

"And I will also need your help. We need to get out of this forest and I don't know how..." Sanzo said trailing. Hakuryu merely meeped some sort of response, which Sanzo didn't know what the heck it means, and launched into the night.

Sanzo sighed as he let his hands dropped down from the steering wheel. There is no need whatsoever to try and drive/direct Hakuryu. The jeep is making haste and from the looks of it knows exactly where to go. The buozo put all his faith and hope on the jeep that they will make it to the nearest town in time.

After all he cannot allow the two to die on him yet. They still have to pay for his torn robes and his assistance. And most of all, he needed them still for getting the saru back.

Kougaiji's legs were giving up on him. He had never run this fast or this long before. His muscles were starting to get sore and is cramping up quickly.

"Kuso!" He swore angrily as he dropped to the ground, spent. He cursed himself for his weakness. How can he help Goku when here he was lying on the ground useless? He strained his ears to listen to his surroundings and heard a rush of wind to the far west and snapping of twigs as little feet crushed them.

With a grunt and resolution, he picked himself up and run after the noise. He was running on pure adrenaline now.

"GOKU!!!" He yelled as loud as he could as the noises he heard coming from the saru stopped. He stopped too, gathering his bearings. No noise could be heard... Goku had stopped running... But where is he? Kougaiji asked frantically to himself as he started running again.

Time was ticking quickly. Kougaiji knew this and he had to find Goku fast before it's too late. Kougaiji never did notice that tears were streaming down his cheeks with frustration. He had given up when he heard a grunt to his left.

"Goku?!" He asked aloud as he run towards that direction. The sight that met his eyes made him want to cry more.

"Goku no!!!" He said as he rushed forward and fought with Goku to free his nyoibo which was imbedded in his stomach.

"Kougaiji!! Leave me alone!!!" Goku yelled angrily as his weapon was taken away from him and his stomach. Although he was still bleeding profusely, Kougaiji slapped him hard across the cheek.

"Stop this nonsense!!" He yelled as Goku crumpled right in front of him.

"Just let me die, Kou. Please... Just let me die."

"No. What were you thinking?! Do you think I would just let you die?" Goku looked at him with remorse.

"Why won't you just let me die?! Do you need more things for me to do?!" Goku said slowly as he clawed at his stomach making the blood flow faster. Kougaiji froze at his words.

Those were really his intention... But he had fallen in love with Goku. He can't go on with that part of the plan. Not now, not ever. Then he noticed what Goku was doing and gently pulled his hands away. With the other hand he tilted the saru's chin to make him look directly in his eyes.

"I won't let you die, because I love you." Goku's body tensed, then sagged.

"Really?!" He asked in a voice so weak.

"Yes. And I'm going to take care of you."

"Will you make me forget about this night?" The saru asked his eyes drooping down.

"I will." Kougaiji said as he kissed Goku's brow as the saru finally fell asleep. No sooner than Kougaiji had lifted the saru from the ground to get him some help, Yaone and the others appeared at his shoulder.

"Kougaiji-sama we failed." Yaone said rather resentfully.

"Let's talk about that later. Yaone, go fix Goku's wound so he could last the trip to get proper help." Kou said commandingly as he set down Goku on the ground and looked at Yaone expectantly.

"Well? Go tend Goku NOW." Kougaiji said losing his patience. He really can't believe how uncooperative Yaone had become. She was loyal to him to a fault and she did things he told her at a drop of a hat. But when he hatched this plan with them, Yaone had been stubborn and shown signs that she did dislike the plan.

"But Kougaiji-sama, I thought that we would kill the saru once he finished off Hakkai-san and Gojyo-san?" Yaone asked his prince as she fought the urge to cross her arms over breasts and tap a foot.

"I told you to tend to Goku's wounds. Didn't you hear me?" Kou said calmly, belying the anger he was feeling underneath. Yaone caught on otherwise and reluctantly dropped down to her knees and attended to Goku. She was not careful with her ministrations though.

"Do you think you could be a little more rough, Yaone?" The youkai prince asked sharply as he laid a clamping hand on Yaone's shoulder.

"I..."

"It's been a rough night on all of us. Yaone tended to Goku already and he could last the travel. Why don't we go now?" Doku said, as he aided the fear-full eyes of Yaone.

Yaone had never seen her Kougaiji-sama this way. He had never treated her roughly. He had always been kind and considerate towards her. Her eyes filled with angry tears as she watched his prince gingerly pick Goku up and make haste towards a hiryu.

She wiped at her eyes angrily and glared at the unmoving form of the saru. She knew that his prince's idea was a bad plan. She had seen signs that Kougaiji was smitten with Goku long before he hatched this plan, it was so noticeable. The admiration the youkai prince had for the strength of the saru... The respect he had for him. She knew it.

And now that the feeling had been realized, where that does put her? Nowhere!! She had fighting this feeling she had for her prince because she knew it was wrong. He was a prince and she was a lowly servant. But the heart never does listen and she fell more and more in love with her prince just as Kougaiji fell more and more in love with a certain saru.

Yaone's thought was broken when a hand seized her shoulder. She looked up to see Doku looking down at her pitifully.

"Drop it." He said simply as he followed his prince lead and left.

But Yaone didn't heed the advice. She had other plans. And her plans included getting Goku out of her and Kougaiji's way.

Sanzo was paying the doctor who tended Gojyo's and Hakkai's injuries a hefty amount when Hakkai woke up. He looked beside him and found that his koi was still sleeping serenely. He sighed deeply with relief when he found out that he was looking alive and going on to the road of recovery.

It was pure luck that he had awoken briefly when Goku was about to deliver that fatal blow to his koi's head. He was frozen with shock when he comprehended what the kappa was about to do. Gojyo thought he was dead and was about to follow him to la-la-land.

Thankfully, the kappa turned in his direction to glimpse at Hakkai one last time... And that's when he signaled that he was alive and Gojyo should be too after all has ended. Without a trace of anything on his face Gojyo took the blow... after changing the angle of which the blow will descend.

Even though Hakkai knew that it was necessary to receive Goku's blow and act dead... He was still in horror when the nyoibo striked his kappa's head. He was so afraid that something might go wrong.

No doubt he trusted his koi's abilities but he can't help but worry all the same. Now that he knew that Gojyo was going to be alright... He could finally sleep without the nightmare of Gojyo dying plaguing him all night.

Sanzo entered the room and sat down at Hakkai's bedside, aware that the monocled one was awake.

"Well? You still owe me a story." The buozo said after waiting for Hakkai to drop the sleeping act.

"Can't an injured one sleep first?" Hakkai teased the increasingly patient buozo.

"All I want to know is one thing. Who is behind all of this?" Hakkai sighed but met Sanzo gaze straight on.

"Kougaiji."

"The hell?!!" Sanzo exclaimed as the cigarette he was puffing fell from his lips.

"What? It's true." Hakkai said defensively.

"I know. But how? Why? Why did Goku follow his commands? Why?"

"Because he loves him."

"What?!"

"You heard me. Me and Goku talked first before he 'killed' me. He said he's got to do this for Kougaiji..."

"I don't believe this."

"Me too. But it's happened."

"But why? Why... When did all this start?!" Sanzo asks still dumbfounded.

"Well for starters, I think it all begun when they were trapped together." Hakkai brought a hand to his chin, looking thoughtful.

"And now that I'm on it... I think it was all a plan to ensnare Goku. Kougaiji planned all of this."

"I'm going to kill him." Sanzo said angrily as he stubbed the fallen cigarette with his toe. He looked at Hakkai.

"You got to hatch me a plan."

"I'm on it." Hakkai said smiling.

t.b.c