A.N. Hey I'm sorry about the lack of update . School's been a real bitch this week, but anyway, 'ere it is, mates! I'd like to thank those of you who will spare me for my preference of the dub smirks I just have to say, ADV did a very good job dubbing and I really enjoy the English voices (I like the Japanese ones as well, 'specially Hakkai's) but it's just so much fun to hear animated characters swear as much as they do. (as well as hear the reactions of those around me who hear the dialogue of a "cartoon" that's not South Park.) At any rate, thanks to all those who've reviewed, (you rock my boat) and I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm out. Tootles.
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"Wow!!" Goku's head was craned upwards as he searched for the tops of the buildings that broke into the heavens around them. "These are so tall I bet they touch the clouds!"
"Wouldn't be surprised. I've never felt so--- ((*THUNK!*)) ACH!" Gojyo had his gaze focused above and wound up walking straight into a lamp post. "Goddamnit!" The kappa rubbed his nose as he felt the stares of everyone around them rest on him. "What?" Gojyo shot back. "I'm sure....you've all done it once." Gojyo muttered.
The rest of the party continued walking ahead, their attention fully focused on the blinking lights and gadgets around them. Gojyo realized that if he stayed behind, he was going to be swallowed up by the crowd, so with haste, he ran up behind the other travelers.
"This is amazing." Hakkai whispered as he studied the strange black and white starched clothing the natives wore. "Tight collared."
Hakuryuu, who was perched on Hakkai's shoulder, agreed. "Kyuu."
"Fast paced too. I think if we get separated one of us is going to be swept away in this human river." Sanzo said as he pushed past a group of suits. *We stick out like sore thumbs. Least these pricks seem too preoccupied to stare...much.*
"Sanzo, I'm hungry." Goku whined as his stomach growled.
The priest spotted a restaurant on the corner. "Let's duck in there for a bit." His recommendation received positive feedback and with a bit of difficulty, the group made it safely inside the small cube of a restaurant. As the entered, a small buzzing noise went off that signaled their arrival. They looked over the closet of a restaurant and noticed that the room containing four tables was unusually empty.
"This is weird. You'd think that thi splace would be packed." Hakkai said as he spotted a lone waitress enter the room from a door at the "far" wall.
"Maybe their food sucks." Sanzo said nonchalantly as he stuck his little finger in his ear.
"Please seat yourself. I'll grab some you all some coffee." The waitress said as she grabbed four mugs from the wall and filled them with the dark liquid. She kept a weary eye on the white dragon perched on the shoulder of the boy with the monocle.
"Coffee? Ugh, you coulda brought us to a bar instead of a friggin' ca.....fé." Gojyo grumbled and looked to the waitress for the first time when his mug was set in front of him. "Well hello there."
Sanzo shot a death glare at Gojyo as Hakkai laughed nervously. "Should've seen this coming."
"Holy shit! Sanzo this stuff is really expensive!" Goku gawked at the menu as it listed the outrageous prices assigned to the simplest of meals.
The priest looked down to the menu to see for himself. His eyebrow twitched as he scanned the selections and the outrageous price beside them. "What's the deal?"
"Well, sir. We do have the most reasonable prices in this quadrant of the city. If this is out of your price range..." The waitress trailed off as she glanced over to Gojyo who was still staring at her. With a sigh, the girl finished the sentence. "I could suggest you travel to the Third Quadrant. It's not as...uh."
"Ch. Its the slums." Sanzo finished the sentence for her quite bluntly. "Well we won't be able to afford more than a couple egg roles if we stay around here. Let's go."
"Sir! What about the coffee?" The girl started after them as they got up.
"We never touched it, nor did we want it in the first place. Probably tastes like shit anyway." Sanzo said dryly as he dragged Gojyo out by the arm.
"Hey, what time do you get off---Hey!" Gojyo's query was cut short as he was pulled out into the busy street.
* * *
It took about three hours to make it to the Third Quadrant. After asking at least a dozen people for bits of directions and swimming through the sea of bodies, the Sanzo party finally made it to the dividing gate.
"Guess this is the place." Goku said as he looked up to the blinking sign reading 'Third Quad.' above their heads.
"They call *this* the slums?!" Gojyo was in awe as he looked around at the smaller buildings around them that were a mix of brick and metal, but not close to the title of "slums." "The only differences I can see is less people and blinking lights."
"Well, at any rate, we should probably get a room first and then go out for food." Hakkai suggested as he found a sign that directed them to an inn. "I guess we go this way." Hakkai smiled and led the group down the sidewalk.
* * *
Inside a dark meeting room located in one of the small laboratories on the outskirts of the Fourth Quadrant, Dr. Kamyou's footsteps echoed off the shadowed walls. The long table set in the middle of the room was lit by a few dim reading lights, but he could clearly see Head Scientist, Professor Mau-Shin at the other end. Mau-Shin's face was eerily highlighted by the illumination from the lamps. It seemed as though the man's face floated in the shadows.
"You called for me, Sir?" Dr. Kamyou was a young, thin man with dark hair that fell in clumps over his eyes. The glasses he wore reflected the light so that the lenses shown pure white. His appearance was attractively sinister, which wasn't much different from his disposition as a sly, slightly sadistic man.
Professor Mau-Shin grinned causing the shadows of his face to shift. "The city's records have shown me that the Sanzo party is staying in town tonight. I have also been told that they are currently staying at the Hotel 426 in the Third Quadrant."
Kamyou shifted anxiously, "You don't say."
"I'm sure you know as well as I who is traveling in the group."
"I do, Sir."
"We've talked about this before." Mau-Shin clasped his hands together. "I assume you know the course of action."
"I do, Sir." Kamyou sighed as he recited the instructions he'd received ever since Mau-Shin located the party's whereabouts two weeks before. "Capture Cho Gonou and make the bastard pay for his sins in the worst way possible, right?"
"We'll make that bastard pay. I won't let anyone get away with the murder of my fiancé." The professor, uttered the latter half under his breath.
"Sir. You've never actually told me why you want me in on such a personal matter." Kamyou said as he slipped his hands deep into the lab coat's pockets.
"Well as you know, I am a generous man." Mau-Shin paused for a moment. "I figure: Why should I be so selfish in being bent on destroying such a fine subject that your department could benefit from."
"And how could this man benefit the Criminal Punishment Department?"
The man seated in the shadows laughed. "You have a new device that as I heard put bluntly from one of your colleagues, 'Screws with the mind. Am I correct?"
"Ah yes. The Cerebreak 449. It's quite the little machine." Kamyou grinned as he remembered that they hadn't been granted access to test subjects from the local penitentiaries for another month due to systematic complications. "I understand, Sir, and I thank you in part of the CPD for this generous offer. I will have the team sent out and in position within the hour."
"You have the disk of studies of weaknesses of Cho Gonou? His woman, his friends, past events?"
"I do, Sir. I've studied it thoroughly as you requested. I hope I'm not to bold to say that I still wonder how you found out some of the more personal faults.
"I have my ways. You're dismissed." Mau-Shin waved Kamyou away and laughed under his breath as the doctor left the room. "I hope you're ready for a taste of Hell, Cho Gonou."
* * *
Later that night, the Sanzo-ikkou relaxed in the not-so-spacious cube of a room.
The close quarters made the group a bit more irritable than normal with each other and the fact they were going to have to practically sleep on top of each other didn't fly so well either.
"This place sucks! Why couldn't we get a nice room in the city?" Goku whined as he shifted under the covers of his futon.
"Because the rates in the city are enough to force the heavens into bankruptcy." Sanzo muttered as he shrugged off his robes and threw the discarded mass of cloth onto the bed beside him. The bedding arrangement had long been settled and Hakkai was still picking up the pieces of lamp that had been sacrificed in the scuffle.
Gojyo was pacing in the five foot open space beside the door, flicking open his silver zippo, lighting it and flicking the lid closed over and over in anxiety. "I need to get some air outside this coffin." With that, the kappa reached for the doorknob, opened the door and left without anything else said.
"Guess that's just *Goj-ian* for a smoke and a quick fuck." Sanzo climbed into the bed and pulled the stiff sheet over his body, rolling over and away from the faces of his comrades. "If he wakes me up in the middle of the night coming back in, I'll shoot his balls off." Sanzo's brusque tone was quiet after that. Hakkai wasn't finished picking up the few pieces of ceramic off the floor before he could here the soft, even breathing coming from the sleeping priest.
*He must've been pretty exhausted. I guess we all are. I'd just like to know what Gojyo is running on for him to still be awake. Hah, what a stupid question. I suppose libido's are more powerful than pure caffeine.* Hakkai tossed the lamp pieces into the small plastic garbage can, flicked off the light switch, and stepped over Goku who was also fast asleep to get to his bed by the window. The healer pulled off the cloth around his forehead and placed that and his monocle on the small, circular bedside table. *My, it's stuffy in here.* To remedy the problem, Hakkai cracked the window and sighed with relief as a cool, light breeze drifted into the room, pushing wisps of hair over his face. He couldn't help but stare out at the blinking lights that were just beyond the Third Quadrant. His eyes were transfixed on the reds that turned to blues, the yellows that faded to white which transformed into shades of green and the blinking neon lights that shadowed his figure on the back wall of the room. *A city that never sleeps.* Hakkai though to himself as his eyelids closed. He remained sitting up as he concentrated on the sounds. He could hear the hum of generators and even a few other mechanical sounds brought from the city to his ears by the steady wind. The soft hum lulled Hakkai to sleep and he fell back into the pillow. But a few hours later, as the wind was still blowing, the shocking echo of a familiar voice buried itself into Hakkai's ears. Green, horrified eyes shot open in shock and a cold sweat began to form on his brow in the warm room.
A woman's voice wafted from a dark alley below. "Gonou....Gonou are you here?"
Hakkai's heart skipped as his blood ran cold. "It can't be..."
"Gonou, it's dark. Where are you?"
"K-Kanan." The instant the name passed his lips, his hope became rage as he realized the impossibility of her being there. This kind of trick was pulled on him before and he hated himself for falling for it every time. But this time he knew different, he wouldn't be caught because there wouldn't be enough left of the person causing this torment to carry out their task. Hakkai grabbed his monocle, leapt out of bed and shot out of the room, leaving the door slightly ajar behind him. *I'll kill that bastard...*
Moments later, Cho Hakkai stormed towards the sound of his Kanan's voice being mocked by this imposter. His tone started low but as his patience wore through he couldn't help with the volume of his words. "I'd suggest you cut the shit before I find out where you are. I will not let you live after disgracing Kanan like this!" Hakkai stepped into the shadows of the alley and looked down to see a small red light blinking on the ground ten feet from him. He stepped over to the light and bent down, squinting in the darkness he discovered the light to be part of a small, round, metal ball with a speaker. "What the hell is this? How did they---?"
It was then Hakkai heard something fly through the air and felt two stinging pains in his back. "What the--?!" Hakkai tried to reach for whatever was lodged in the muscles of his back, but stopped when he felt a third projectile stick into his skin. He spun around to run back towards the inn, shocked at finding how hard it was for his legs to keep him up. *Tranquilizers? What is this?!* Just as he was about to reach the end of the alley, four men in black lined across it with more guns cocked and aimed at Hakkai. He skidded on the ground and booked it the other way. *This isn't happening. It's like they knew the only trap I'd allow myself to---Ugh! And I knew this was a trap too!* Hakkai mentally beat himself as he ran down the alley, narrowly dodging structures that fell at him. But it wasn't long before three more darts (as he had figured) were sunk into his muscle and he was on the ground beneath bone crushing metal that had tumbled down on him from above. First there was pain, then there was blackness. His body was roughly pulled from the metal and slung over a shoulder, the force the upper half of his body went through when it flopped against his captor's back caused the monocle to fall from the bridge of his nose and clink on the ground. In seconds, he was well on his way to the gates of hell.
* * *
Gojyo was wandering back from across the quadrant after having spent some time in a bar and more time in a bed. Relieved and satisfied, Gojyo couldn't remember the last time he'd been with someone so experienced. The thought brought a smile to his face as he thought of the surprises his company had had in store for him. He'd slipped out when she was asleep and walked at a slow pace back to the inn. His mind was elsewhere until he was shaken back into reality by a loud commotion in the alleyway ahead of him. "Hm?" He almost dismissed it as nothing until he spotted figures running along the roof top and one of them had a body thrown over their shoulder. Gojyo's brows furrowed as he decided to see what happened. He walked closer to the alley and could barely make out the outline of steel beams scattered across the way. "What happened here?" As Gojyo scanned the scene, his eye caught the glint of glass and metal in the pale light emitted from the street lights behind him. The kappa knelt down and to his horror, he saw Hakkai's monocle laying in his shadow. There was no doubt in his mind that the body that was slung over the shoulder of the shadowed men was his best friend. "Shit!" Gojyo ran as fast as he could back to the inn and didn't care about the clamor he caused as he made his way to the room. He was struck by the fact the door was halfway open (and eerily opening wider at his arrival) but dismissed it as he burst into the room and flipped the light switch on.
The sound of a gun being cocked was muffled under the sheets of Sanzo's bed but was audible enough for Gojyo to hear. "You better turn that light off before my finger slips." Sanzo words were slightly cracked from sleep but when he rolled over, his attention was almost directly drawn to the panicked expression plastered on Gojyo's face. "What is it?"
"H-Hakkai's been captured." Gojyo panted as he tried to catch his breath.
Sanzo looked over to the empty bed and confirmed the declaration wasn't out of drunkenness. He got up and threw on his robes as the kappa fiercely shook Goku awake.
"Goku! Goku get up!"
"Nnn. What? Is it time for breakfast?" The monkey's golden eye cracked open until it took in the sight before him. "What is it, Gojyo?"
"It's Hakkai. He's been---"
"No time to talk about it, now move your ass." The priest grabbed Goku by the collar and dragged him out of the room after Gojyo.
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"Wow!!" Goku's head was craned upwards as he searched for the tops of the buildings that broke into the heavens around them. "These are so tall I bet they touch the clouds!"
"Wouldn't be surprised. I've never felt so--- ((*THUNK!*)) ACH!" Gojyo had his gaze focused above and wound up walking straight into a lamp post. "Goddamnit!" The kappa rubbed his nose as he felt the stares of everyone around them rest on him. "What?" Gojyo shot back. "I'm sure....you've all done it once." Gojyo muttered.
The rest of the party continued walking ahead, their attention fully focused on the blinking lights and gadgets around them. Gojyo realized that if he stayed behind, he was going to be swallowed up by the crowd, so with haste, he ran up behind the other travelers.
"This is amazing." Hakkai whispered as he studied the strange black and white starched clothing the natives wore. "Tight collared."
Hakuryuu, who was perched on Hakkai's shoulder, agreed. "Kyuu."
"Fast paced too. I think if we get separated one of us is going to be swept away in this human river." Sanzo said as he pushed past a group of suits. *We stick out like sore thumbs. Least these pricks seem too preoccupied to stare...much.*
"Sanzo, I'm hungry." Goku whined as his stomach growled.
The priest spotted a restaurant on the corner. "Let's duck in there for a bit." His recommendation received positive feedback and with a bit of difficulty, the group made it safely inside the small cube of a restaurant. As the entered, a small buzzing noise went off that signaled their arrival. They looked over the closet of a restaurant and noticed that the room containing four tables was unusually empty.
"This is weird. You'd think that thi splace would be packed." Hakkai said as he spotted a lone waitress enter the room from a door at the "far" wall.
"Maybe their food sucks." Sanzo said nonchalantly as he stuck his little finger in his ear.
"Please seat yourself. I'll grab some you all some coffee." The waitress said as she grabbed four mugs from the wall and filled them with the dark liquid. She kept a weary eye on the white dragon perched on the shoulder of the boy with the monocle.
"Coffee? Ugh, you coulda brought us to a bar instead of a friggin' ca.....fé." Gojyo grumbled and looked to the waitress for the first time when his mug was set in front of him. "Well hello there."
Sanzo shot a death glare at Gojyo as Hakkai laughed nervously. "Should've seen this coming."
"Holy shit! Sanzo this stuff is really expensive!" Goku gawked at the menu as it listed the outrageous prices assigned to the simplest of meals.
The priest looked down to the menu to see for himself. His eyebrow twitched as he scanned the selections and the outrageous price beside them. "What's the deal?"
"Well, sir. We do have the most reasonable prices in this quadrant of the city. If this is out of your price range..." The waitress trailed off as she glanced over to Gojyo who was still staring at her. With a sigh, the girl finished the sentence. "I could suggest you travel to the Third Quadrant. It's not as...uh."
"Ch. Its the slums." Sanzo finished the sentence for her quite bluntly. "Well we won't be able to afford more than a couple egg roles if we stay around here. Let's go."
"Sir! What about the coffee?" The girl started after them as they got up.
"We never touched it, nor did we want it in the first place. Probably tastes like shit anyway." Sanzo said dryly as he dragged Gojyo out by the arm.
"Hey, what time do you get off---Hey!" Gojyo's query was cut short as he was pulled out into the busy street.
* * *
It took about three hours to make it to the Third Quadrant. After asking at least a dozen people for bits of directions and swimming through the sea of bodies, the Sanzo party finally made it to the dividing gate.
"Guess this is the place." Goku said as he looked up to the blinking sign reading 'Third Quad.' above their heads.
"They call *this* the slums?!" Gojyo was in awe as he looked around at the smaller buildings around them that were a mix of brick and metal, but not close to the title of "slums." "The only differences I can see is less people and blinking lights."
"Well, at any rate, we should probably get a room first and then go out for food." Hakkai suggested as he found a sign that directed them to an inn. "I guess we go this way." Hakkai smiled and led the group down the sidewalk.
* * *
Inside a dark meeting room located in one of the small laboratories on the outskirts of the Fourth Quadrant, Dr. Kamyou's footsteps echoed off the shadowed walls. The long table set in the middle of the room was lit by a few dim reading lights, but he could clearly see Head Scientist, Professor Mau-Shin at the other end. Mau-Shin's face was eerily highlighted by the illumination from the lamps. It seemed as though the man's face floated in the shadows.
"You called for me, Sir?" Dr. Kamyou was a young, thin man with dark hair that fell in clumps over his eyes. The glasses he wore reflected the light so that the lenses shown pure white. His appearance was attractively sinister, which wasn't much different from his disposition as a sly, slightly sadistic man.
Professor Mau-Shin grinned causing the shadows of his face to shift. "The city's records have shown me that the Sanzo party is staying in town tonight. I have also been told that they are currently staying at the Hotel 426 in the Third Quadrant."
Kamyou shifted anxiously, "You don't say."
"I'm sure you know as well as I who is traveling in the group."
"I do, Sir."
"We've talked about this before." Mau-Shin clasped his hands together. "I assume you know the course of action."
"I do, Sir." Kamyou sighed as he recited the instructions he'd received ever since Mau-Shin located the party's whereabouts two weeks before. "Capture Cho Gonou and make the bastard pay for his sins in the worst way possible, right?"
"We'll make that bastard pay. I won't let anyone get away with the murder of my fiancé." The professor, uttered the latter half under his breath.
"Sir. You've never actually told me why you want me in on such a personal matter." Kamyou said as he slipped his hands deep into the lab coat's pockets.
"Well as you know, I am a generous man." Mau-Shin paused for a moment. "I figure: Why should I be so selfish in being bent on destroying such a fine subject that your department could benefit from."
"And how could this man benefit the Criminal Punishment Department?"
The man seated in the shadows laughed. "You have a new device that as I heard put bluntly from one of your colleagues, 'Screws with the mind. Am I correct?"
"Ah yes. The Cerebreak 449. It's quite the little machine." Kamyou grinned as he remembered that they hadn't been granted access to test subjects from the local penitentiaries for another month due to systematic complications. "I understand, Sir, and I thank you in part of the CPD for this generous offer. I will have the team sent out and in position within the hour."
"You have the disk of studies of weaknesses of Cho Gonou? His woman, his friends, past events?"
"I do, Sir. I've studied it thoroughly as you requested. I hope I'm not to bold to say that I still wonder how you found out some of the more personal faults.
"I have my ways. You're dismissed." Mau-Shin waved Kamyou away and laughed under his breath as the doctor left the room. "I hope you're ready for a taste of Hell, Cho Gonou."
* * *
Later that night, the Sanzo-ikkou relaxed in the not-so-spacious cube of a room.
The close quarters made the group a bit more irritable than normal with each other and the fact they were going to have to practically sleep on top of each other didn't fly so well either.
"This place sucks! Why couldn't we get a nice room in the city?" Goku whined as he shifted under the covers of his futon.
"Because the rates in the city are enough to force the heavens into bankruptcy." Sanzo muttered as he shrugged off his robes and threw the discarded mass of cloth onto the bed beside him. The bedding arrangement had long been settled and Hakkai was still picking up the pieces of lamp that had been sacrificed in the scuffle.
Gojyo was pacing in the five foot open space beside the door, flicking open his silver zippo, lighting it and flicking the lid closed over and over in anxiety. "I need to get some air outside this coffin." With that, the kappa reached for the doorknob, opened the door and left without anything else said.
"Guess that's just *Goj-ian* for a smoke and a quick fuck." Sanzo climbed into the bed and pulled the stiff sheet over his body, rolling over and away from the faces of his comrades. "If he wakes me up in the middle of the night coming back in, I'll shoot his balls off." Sanzo's brusque tone was quiet after that. Hakkai wasn't finished picking up the few pieces of ceramic off the floor before he could here the soft, even breathing coming from the sleeping priest.
*He must've been pretty exhausted. I guess we all are. I'd just like to know what Gojyo is running on for him to still be awake. Hah, what a stupid question. I suppose libido's are more powerful than pure caffeine.* Hakkai tossed the lamp pieces into the small plastic garbage can, flicked off the light switch, and stepped over Goku who was also fast asleep to get to his bed by the window. The healer pulled off the cloth around his forehead and placed that and his monocle on the small, circular bedside table. *My, it's stuffy in here.* To remedy the problem, Hakkai cracked the window and sighed with relief as a cool, light breeze drifted into the room, pushing wisps of hair over his face. He couldn't help but stare out at the blinking lights that were just beyond the Third Quadrant. His eyes were transfixed on the reds that turned to blues, the yellows that faded to white which transformed into shades of green and the blinking neon lights that shadowed his figure on the back wall of the room. *A city that never sleeps.* Hakkai though to himself as his eyelids closed. He remained sitting up as he concentrated on the sounds. He could hear the hum of generators and even a few other mechanical sounds brought from the city to his ears by the steady wind. The soft hum lulled Hakkai to sleep and he fell back into the pillow. But a few hours later, as the wind was still blowing, the shocking echo of a familiar voice buried itself into Hakkai's ears. Green, horrified eyes shot open in shock and a cold sweat began to form on his brow in the warm room.
A woman's voice wafted from a dark alley below. "Gonou....Gonou are you here?"
Hakkai's heart skipped as his blood ran cold. "It can't be..."
"Gonou, it's dark. Where are you?"
"K-Kanan." The instant the name passed his lips, his hope became rage as he realized the impossibility of her being there. This kind of trick was pulled on him before and he hated himself for falling for it every time. But this time he knew different, he wouldn't be caught because there wouldn't be enough left of the person causing this torment to carry out their task. Hakkai grabbed his monocle, leapt out of bed and shot out of the room, leaving the door slightly ajar behind him. *I'll kill that bastard...*
Moments later, Cho Hakkai stormed towards the sound of his Kanan's voice being mocked by this imposter. His tone started low but as his patience wore through he couldn't help with the volume of his words. "I'd suggest you cut the shit before I find out where you are. I will not let you live after disgracing Kanan like this!" Hakkai stepped into the shadows of the alley and looked down to see a small red light blinking on the ground ten feet from him. He stepped over to the light and bent down, squinting in the darkness he discovered the light to be part of a small, round, metal ball with a speaker. "What the hell is this? How did they---?"
It was then Hakkai heard something fly through the air and felt two stinging pains in his back. "What the--?!" Hakkai tried to reach for whatever was lodged in the muscles of his back, but stopped when he felt a third projectile stick into his skin. He spun around to run back towards the inn, shocked at finding how hard it was for his legs to keep him up. *Tranquilizers? What is this?!* Just as he was about to reach the end of the alley, four men in black lined across it with more guns cocked and aimed at Hakkai. He skidded on the ground and booked it the other way. *This isn't happening. It's like they knew the only trap I'd allow myself to---Ugh! And I knew this was a trap too!* Hakkai mentally beat himself as he ran down the alley, narrowly dodging structures that fell at him. But it wasn't long before three more darts (as he had figured) were sunk into his muscle and he was on the ground beneath bone crushing metal that had tumbled down on him from above. First there was pain, then there was blackness. His body was roughly pulled from the metal and slung over a shoulder, the force the upper half of his body went through when it flopped against his captor's back caused the monocle to fall from the bridge of his nose and clink on the ground. In seconds, he was well on his way to the gates of hell.
* * *
Gojyo was wandering back from across the quadrant after having spent some time in a bar and more time in a bed. Relieved and satisfied, Gojyo couldn't remember the last time he'd been with someone so experienced. The thought brought a smile to his face as he thought of the surprises his company had had in store for him. He'd slipped out when she was asleep and walked at a slow pace back to the inn. His mind was elsewhere until he was shaken back into reality by a loud commotion in the alleyway ahead of him. "Hm?" He almost dismissed it as nothing until he spotted figures running along the roof top and one of them had a body thrown over their shoulder. Gojyo's brows furrowed as he decided to see what happened. He walked closer to the alley and could barely make out the outline of steel beams scattered across the way. "What happened here?" As Gojyo scanned the scene, his eye caught the glint of glass and metal in the pale light emitted from the street lights behind him. The kappa knelt down and to his horror, he saw Hakkai's monocle laying in his shadow. There was no doubt in his mind that the body that was slung over the shoulder of the shadowed men was his best friend. "Shit!" Gojyo ran as fast as he could back to the inn and didn't care about the clamor he caused as he made his way to the room. He was struck by the fact the door was halfway open (and eerily opening wider at his arrival) but dismissed it as he burst into the room and flipped the light switch on.
The sound of a gun being cocked was muffled under the sheets of Sanzo's bed but was audible enough for Gojyo to hear. "You better turn that light off before my finger slips." Sanzo words were slightly cracked from sleep but when he rolled over, his attention was almost directly drawn to the panicked expression plastered on Gojyo's face. "What is it?"
"H-Hakkai's been captured." Gojyo panted as he tried to catch his breath.
Sanzo looked over to the empty bed and confirmed the declaration wasn't out of drunkenness. He got up and threw on his robes as the kappa fiercely shook Goku awake.
"Goku! Goku get up!"
"Nnn. What? Is it time for breakfast?" The monkey's golden eye cracked open until it took in the sight before him. "What is it, Gojyo?"
"It's Hakkai. He's been---"
"No time to talk about it, now move your ass." The priest grabbed Goku by the collar and dragged him out of the room after Gojyo.