CHAPTER THREE: THE CULPRIT
"Where the hell is the coward?" Sanzo fumed, whirling around and aiming his pistol at nothing in particular.
Gojyo did the same, carefully inspecting the surroundings. It was still raining, though not as hard as before, but was still enough to flip Sanzo into a darker mood.
Suddenly they heard a noise; a noise so faint one might missed it if he didn't pay close attention. They turned to the direction of the noise just in time to see a dark shadow leaping from a tree branch to another. The movements seemed oddly familiar.
Gojyo sent his shaka jou's curved blade flying through the air, like a heat-seeking missile. Sanzo was already on the move. Despite his sodden robes, Sanzo moved real fast, tracking the cowardly assassin down with his gun and his sharp eyes. Whoever was planning to harm him was not going to get away easily.
The dark figure leaped onto the next branch, but before he could land, Sanzo shot the branch, snapping it into splinters. Startled, the dark figure drew back to the previous branch, only to find Gojyo's chained weapon wrapped securely around his torso. With a smirk, Gojyo tugged at his weapon and sent him crashing down onto the muddy ground.
"Nice teamwork, Blondie," Gojyo commented, panting only slightly.
"Shut up," Sanzo snarled. He holstered his gun back into his shoulder pocket and marched towards his captive.
"I'm going to teach you what will happen to those who mess with me and think they can get away with it," Sanzo growled, then ripped the mask out of the captive's head--
and dropped the mask onto the ground. Gojyo's eyes widened when he realized who the assassin was.
"Shi Mou Rou?" Both of them sputtered in shock.
The woman on the ground grinned humorlessly, but triumphantly. "Glad you guys still remember me."
"It is a mistake of us to let you off in one piece last time," Gojyo said darkly after his shock had worn off. "We should have let you off, in a bag, you old hag! Now look at what have you done to Goku, again!"
Shi frowned, then looked up at Sanzo intently. She answered back in a defensive tone, "Well, what can I say? Sanzo's luck… yet again…saved him, and in return, Goku… AGAIN… was the one who took the blow meant for Sanzo. Ya can't blame me if the little monkey-boy is just plain stupid!"
Sanzo was close to slapping her. "SHUT UP! Stop saying it's luck. I don't believe in that junk. The fact is, you're just an amateur… and this just proves it! It wasn't so long ago that I recalled you saying that, next time, you'd beat us in a FAIR fight. Heh, I should've known that you most probably weren't capable enough to keep your word. What a disappointment it must be for you."
Shi Mou Rou blinked. "You remembered what I have said to you before I suggested the cure for Goku? You remembered what I said in the letter?"
Gojyo snorted. "Of course. We always remember our enemy's parting words."
Sanzo's vein twitched. "You're dead this time, Shi! After we get the antidote from you, I swear I will kill you!"
Shi Mou Rou turned pale. Somehow she knew from Sanzo's voice that he wasn't just threatening but she tried to show that she wasn't scared at all.
"Is that a threat?" She asked, grinning viciously.
Sanzo's eyes narrowed as he glared at her in contempt. "No, it's a promise."
That wiped the smile off Shi's face. Sanzo snorted as he turned away from her to face Gojyo.
"Let's get back to the inn," he said gruffly. "We decide on what to do with her there."
Gojyo hauled Shi Mou Rou to her feet, all the while keeping a death-like vice grip on both of her hands to prevent her from getting away. Without a word, the three of them headed back to the inn in tow, with Sanzo leading the way.