Chapter 10

Sanzo is bored out of his mind. He's been sitting with Hakuryu for a few hours now and waiting for that damned youkai prince to show up is already testing Sanzo's very thin patience. And while he's at it, it wasn't a piece of cake either trying to look confused and disconcerted for the same length of time.

Of course he couldn't let his guard down and adopt his usual facial expression which is nothing really. He's starting to get cramps near his mouth and his eyes are watering from the lack of blinking, and any moment now he could draw Hakuryu's dashboard from memory. He's been staring at it so long that he started to compare that little fuzz on the dashboard to Hakuryu's snowy mane. Oh the joys of being bored.

Twigs snapped from behind the jeep and Sanzo brightened. He refrained from showing his excitement visually though. He needed the prince to think that he was in the rocks and was extremely distracted for the moment. But in truth, he barely stopped himself from saying "It's about time" aloud. If not for his iron will and control he might've hugged the prince from showing up and then beat the crap out of him, but then that isn't in his plan so kicking some royal ass would be delayed.

"Give me the sutra and I might let you live." Kougaiji announced so suddenly that Sanzo doesn't need to fake his surprise. He whipped his head around and narrowed his eyes at the prince. The disgust in his eyes needn't be faked since it is real. Sanzo is a little surprised though. He thought Kougaiji will just beat him to get the sutra with no questions asked. He hadn't foreseen that the prince might do all the 'negotiations' crap with him. Sanzo smirked.

"The loss of my comrades doesn't concern where my pride lies." Sanzo said arrogantly as he brushed a few errant 'tears'. Of course those aren't real tears, Sanzo just happened to pass by the lake and thought that tears would be good props for his act.

"Still proud aren't you Sanzo?"

"Of course. What do you think makes me?" He smirked again as he showed nonchalance. Sanzo brought out a cigarette and lighted it. Puffing deeply, he glanced at Kougaiji.

"Done playing with my pet?" He asked a few moments later. The prince and his crony hadn't made any move since he lit the cigarette and he's now finished with it. Sanzo think it wise that they start some action now. He knows that if this 'conversation' stretches out, he wouldn't be able to stop himself. Just looking at the smug face of Kougaiji when heard about the saru made Sanzo want to have a piece of him.

"Not yet he's quite entertaining, you know?"

"So I learned."

"So Sanzo, liked my gift?"

"What gifts? The two bodies?" Sanzo asked feigning confusion.

"Yup. Quite a work of art if you ask me." Kougaiji said smugly as he flicked his hands towards the general direction where the buozo had found Hakkai and Gojyo. Sanzo growled angrily as he reached for his gun and aimed three successive shots at Kougaiji. It took all of his acting abilities to act insulted and angry about the prince's snide remark on his two companions.

The prince though successfully dodged each and every bullet. He reappeared at Sanzo's side and smirked as he leaned onto the buozo's ear.

"You know what? I think you'll follow my gifts soon enough. And don't you worry about your pet; he's mine now as is your sutra." With that he lunged for Sanzo's sutra and successfully retracted it from the buozo's body. With a howl, Sanzo reached for his sutra just as a sword impaled his side. He looked at his right to find Dokugakuji smirking triumphantly at him.

"That's ours now." He said with victory in his voice as he twisted his sword inside the buozo's body and pulled it out. Kougaiji frowned at Doku's actions.

"Just want to make sure." He shrugged as the both of them turned to watch Sanzo make gasping breaths clutching at the wound to his side. With one last show of bravery he looked up at the two figures and tried to smirk.

"Huh. I thought you guys were honorable. Ganging up on little old me. Isn't that unfair?" Sanzo all but breathed this out and then passed immediately after. Doku shook his head and looked at Sanzo's 'corpse'.

"No, it's called desperation buozo." He whispered silently so Kougaiji won't hear it. He turned to look at Kougaiji, the prince was turning the sutra in his hands frowning at it.

"What's the matter, Kou?"

"The sutra… it's looks different."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. This looks kind of wrong. Look at the words… Looks like children's scribbles." Kougaiji said his frown deepening. If you look closely at Sanzo's corpse, a vein in its head started to pound for a second but ceased as immediately as it has appeared.

"Now Kou, you know the buozo never takes his sutra off. Maybe the evil sutra really looks that, after all we never really saw it this way." Kou weighed Doku's words then shrugged.

"Yeah. I think that's it." Kou finally relented.

"Let's go back. I want to check on Goku and Lilin, Yaone." He added after scrolling the sutra up and motioned Doku to move after him.

"You mean check up on Goku alone." Doku muttered.

"What was that Doku?" Kou asked his eyes narrowing for a second.

"Nothing. Let's hurry! The saru might be hungry when he wakes up. We all know he's a black hole right?!" Doku forced a laugh as he stepped into the night. From previous experience, he knew it isn't nice to be under Kou's wrath. He doesn't have anything against the saru really and he likes what Kougaiji likes.

"Hn."

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As soon as Sanzo was sure that the gruesome twosome was gone he stood from his spot and dusted off his robe. He grimaced at the sight of his robes being torn and bloody.

When he was sure that he was still in one piece, the vein that had popped earlier made an appearance again. How dare that Kougaiji call his handwriting children's scribbles!! What an insult!! He had the best hand in the temple and Kougaiji dared to question that?!

Sanzo calmed himself down. He would get back to Kougaiji and his revenge would be twice as painful. Not only was he getting revenge for the two handicaps and for Goku, but he was also getting some for himself. Children's scribbles!! For heaven' sake!! If only Kougaiji knew that he had worked on that sutra for a few grueling hours of perfection!!

And if you wondered how he managed to stay alive unscathed… Sanzo smirked. Being fascinated with the ninja culture can do someone good, Sanzo thought to himself as he rubbed his chin.

As soon as he knew that he was being stabbed he replaced himself with a dummy and returned himself when Doku retrieved the sword from 'his' body. Sanzo made a beeline for the hidden entrance behind the house with Hakuryu in tow all the while contemplating whether he could cope to being a monk and a full blown ninja at the same time.

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Yaone ladled some of the green bubbling stuff she called 'medicine' in to a plastic cup and went to Goku's bedside to try and get it into his system. The saru hasn't wakened since they got here and Yaone saw that Lilin was getting worried by the minute. Right now the little princess has her hands on her cheeks clawing at them in worry. She looked at Yaone.

"Ne Yaone, is he going to be okay? He looks terrible!! And he's been whimpering in pain too!!" Lilin said as she went to Yaone's side and glanced at the cup she brought.

"I think he's going to be okay… Once he drinks his medicine."

"Are you sure your concoction is going to work? I've never seen you made stuff as nasty as this one!"

"It's because this concoction is stronger than the ones I usually made Lilin-sama."

"Oh, I see. Hurry now! Make the saru drink it. Brother will be extremely angry not to mention lonely should something happen to the saru." Lilin said. Unwittingly she made Yaone angrier by that statement.

"You know, Yaone. I've never seen brother so happy before. He's always such a grump if you ask me. But since he and Goku…" Lilin looked at Yaone begging with her eyes to supply her the word she was looking for. Yaone had to force a chuckle out of her.

"Together?"

"Yup!! He's got a sparkle in his eye don't you think? And he's really, really devastated when the saru goes berserk… Like this!" Lilin clicked her fingers to show her point.

"Yes, Lilin-sama. I thought so too." Yaone gritted her teeth as she fought the impulse to throw home made bombs at the princess. She vainly tried to remember that she was fond of Lilin and that Lilin is Kougaiji's sister too.

"Now, help Goku up." Yaone gently commanded Lilin as she got her hands under Goku's upper back and heaved him up. Lilin skipped to the other side and mimicked her actions to support Goku up. Yaone gently slapped the saru's cheeks to wake him up.

"Goku-sama? Goku-sama? Wake up…" She said loudly. The saru stirred and blinked one weary at them.

"Ohayo, saru!!" Lilin chirped as she grinned wildly.

"Lilin?" Goku asks disconcertedly.

"Now, Goku-sama I need you to drink this…" Yaone interjected as she waved the plastic cup under Goku's nose. As disoriented as Goku was, it was remarkable that he winced at the smell.

"What is this? No way am I going to drink that stuff…" He protested weakly as he tried to slap Yaone's hand away.

"But Goku-sama this will help you heal better. You have a massive headache correct? And body pains? I promise it will lessen if you drink this." Yaone coaxed the still complaining saru.

"Really now?"

"Yes. Really now." With a show of reluctance Goku swallowed the vile liquid and made a face.

"Yuck. That has got to be the worst tasting…" Without finishing the sentence Goku passed out.

"Hey! The saru just woke up! How come…"

"I put sleeping ingredients in it too, Lilin-sama. He needs to sleep better if we want him to heal faster." Yaone replied as she tried to control the laugh bubbling up her throat.

The youkai turned away from Lilin and went back to the cauldron to stir the remnants of the medicine and put them into safe-keeping containers. She would need them soon.

t.b.c

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