Impossibility 5

The drive back had all the texture of a nightmare. Rain splattered against the windshield, sprayed against them and whipped into their eyes, windshield or no. The roads were starting to flood, and there was a tense moment when Jiipu splashed into a large puddle and faltered, engine whirring. Then Hakkai slammed on the accelerator, and with only a small squeak of protest, Jiipu shot forward again.

Back at the inn, Hakkai waited only long enough to make sure the dragon had a place in front of the fire before bolting upstairs. There was no despair, a small part of his mind noted, just a grim expectation of the worst; there was no hope, just belief. You won't die on me. You won't.

There was a crowd outside the door.

"Excuse me!" Goku yelled, elbowing his way past. Elbows shoved back, and onlookers refused to give way.

"Let me through!" Goku snapped, his frustration growing. "Let me through or I'll--"

"Stand back," a voice said from.

The words lanced through the chatter, froze noise into silence. There was a timeless pause. Goku turned slowly. Everyone turned.

Hakkai stood a few steps behind. Water streamed off him, dripping off the end of his bangs. His monocle had misted over, and the other eye was shadowed. A ki ball glowed between his fingertips.

The crowd parted silently -- not out of deference to Hakkai's wishes, but a simple inclination to get out of the line of fire. Hakkai shoved his way through, and no one got in his way. Goku followed silently after.

The room was surprisingly intact. There were several bullet holes in the walls, and the light and the windows were smashed, but it was otherwise untouched. A spattering of blood, Hakkai registered. No claw marks all over the walls. No corpses. No living creatures either.

...No Sanzo.

"Hakkai--" Goku was standing by the wall. "There's something here."

Hakkai glanced sharply over, and his eyes widened. What he'd mistaken upon first glance to be a spray of blood against the wall was more than that.

"It's writing." Goku squinted.

Hakkai read the words. Once. Twice. Then his fist slammed hard enough into the wall to leave cracks. Goku stepped back hurriedly; the crowd peering in through the door looked nervously on.

"..Hak...kai.." even Goku sounded apprehensive. "Are you okay?"

Hakkai glanced at him, green eyes seeing and not seeing; racing past to another time, another year, another room.

A shattered picture frame. And over turned chair. A vase, smashed into smithereens, the flowers they'd arranged this morning scattered and trampled and broken--

--"...kai?"

He blinked, rapidly. "I'm alright, Goku."

"I don't understand," Goku said, frowning. He traced a finger across the blood, and it smudged, not completely dry. "Why would the enemy take Sanzo hostage and ask us to go after him?"

One breath to quieten the ghosts of the past. Two before he trusted himself to speak.

"Because," Hakkai said quietly, "I have the sutra."

He'd wondered if it was a mistake to take one of Sanzo's weapons with him when he'd gone looking for Goku. Logic had argued that if Sanzo couldn't take out his enemies with the gun, he wouldn't have the time to use the sutra, especially not in his present condition.

But all the logic in the world couldn't stop the gnawing feeling of doubt -- What if, what if, what if. Unconsciously, he reached into his pocket and his fingers closed around the scroll, his eyes returning to the message their unseen enemy had left.

Bring the sutra. The forest at the eastern side of the town. You have half an hour.

He read the words again, trying desperately to discern something about the identity of the attacker. At least he knew it was probably in Kougaiji's or Gyokumen's employ. At least he knew -- or desperately hoped -- that Sanzo was still alive.

But the message was written in blood, and he knew with a cold certainty that it wasn't youkai blood.

He turned to the crowd, and they inched back nervously under his gaze. "Do you know what happened?" He kept his voice level, the manner polite.

The innkeeper glanced furtively at him. "We heard the gunshots, but all we saw when we opened the door was darkness. Then it lifted, and everything was exactly as you see it..."

"Darkness?" Hakkai said sharply.

"Dark as pitch. Then we heard a scream -- a howl, something like, and another shot. There was a crash of glass -- sounded like someone leaving through the window. I think..." and the terror was clear in the way his voice trembled-- "I think there was a youkai."

"Hakkai..." Goku was behind him, tugging at his sleeve. Hakkai could feel the boy's impatience and worry. He was holding himself in check, but just barely. "What do we do?"

What do we do indeed? the words rang through his head with the edge of despair. Gojyo... missing. Probably injured. Possibly dead. Sanzo... in the hands of the enemy. He glared barefully at the rain gusting in through the smashed window.

"Should we split up?" Goku asked. "You can go and look for Gojyo. I can handle whoever--"

"No," Hakkai said heavily. "This is a delicate situation. One move and they'll probably kill Sanzo." So even if they don't have the scroll, at least they're rid of an enemy who knows how to use it. "And..." he stared at the trickle of blood winding its way down from the last fullstop. "I don't think you can take them on alone."

But Gojyo! Worry made his nerves tingle.

One should never have to choose between one friend and another...

"Hakkai." Goku's voice was low but steady. "I'll look for Gojyo. You go and find Sanzo."

He glanced over, genuinely surprised. Golden eyes stared back, filled with worried resolution.

"You're better at this than I am," Goku said. He looked away for a moment, teeth clenching, then back again. "I'll find Gojyo and look for you when I'm done."

Hakkai stared wordlessly at him.

"Hakkai..." Goku's fingers brushed the edge of his limiter before he jerked his hand away. I trust you.

"I won't let you down," he promised. "The eastern edge of the forest. I'll meet you there."

Goku nodded tersely, then shoved his way out pass the crowd and out the door.

Hakkai stayed for a moment, staring at the shattered glass on the floor.

*

It was fucking pathetic, Gojyo figured. Lying in the middle of the road with his guts spilling out onto the muddy, rainslicked ground. He wanted to laugh, except that it hurt too much.

Is this what it felt like? he wondered dizzily. Hakkai?

"Man," he muttered into the ground, shifting slightly to get his nose out of the forming puddles. "That was really stupid."

"Yes, it was," a new voice said from somewhere above him.

"Hakkai?"

"No, you idiot kappa." There was a splash of water, then Goku's face came into view. "What happened to you? I was looking for you all over the place!"

Rain fell, cold against his already soaked jacket. "Damn, and I was hoping for some chick. But with my luck so rotten at the moment, it's no surprise that all I get is some soggy monkey."

"Idiot!" Goku growled. Gojyo blinked in some surprise. The kid wasn't his usual self. There was more splashing, then Goku had one arm around his shoulders. "Come on, let's get you out of the rain. Jiipu's here."

"Jeep?" Gojyo blinked groggily, then realized that the bright patch in front of his eyes were the shining headlights of their Jeep. But... "No Hakkai?"

"Hakkai's gone to look for Sanzo," Goku said through gritted teeth.

"Sanzo, eh? What happened to the monk this time?" with a wince of pain, he staggered to his feet, leaning heavily against Goku. The rain was bloody freezing, as if it were shards of ice falling instead of water.

Goku didn't answer. Jiipu squeaked and inched closer. "Hang tight," Goku said, and practically flung him into the passenger seat.

...That had to suck. He crumpled up, sucking in air, his vision spinning crazily. Damn ape!

There was a flurry of movement in front of him, Goku leaping into the driver's seat. Wait, wait, the kid can't drive!

Goku stepped down on the accelerator before Gojyo could voice a protest or select to opt-out of this very much unwanted scheme. Jiipu leapt forward and he slammed back his into seat. Breath and sight vanished.

"Help me out here," Goku muttered to Jiipu, who sent a small squeak back. The Jeep could drive itself -- to a certain extent; and Goku could drive it -- to a certain extent -- and somehow, they'd managed to rush around town in a combination of nonexistent skill and pure luck. It was just as well that the dragon didn't stall like normal jeeps.

But it was hard, Goku thought, frowning in sheer concentration. He could barely manage the corners, and on the wet and slippery roads... Jiipu was going to have a few scratches after this. And then there was another problem. Goku lifted his foot from the accelerator for a moment, allowing Jiipu to coast for a while as he peered down dark streets. He remembered taking a left here, a right there, and another turn, and another... running down dead ends until all of them blurred in his mind.

"Kyuu?" Jiipu asked.

"I'm lost," Goku muttered. "Which way's the inn?"

"Kyuu kyuu..." Jiipu replied, and slowed to a halt. Goku stared, squinting through the rain. Not for the first time, he wondered why Hakkai had entrusted Hakuryuu to him. He hadn't even had a chance to talk to the older man about it -- Hakuryuu had simply come flying out after him, alighted on his shoulder, and refused to go back.

"I know," Goku said miserably. "After all those streets we went down looking for Gojyo, all of them look exactly the same!"

"Kyu---"

The change in the dragon's tone caught Goku's attention. He looked up sharply--

--when something leapt from the rooftops to land heavily on Jiipu's bonnet. The dragon squeaked in pain and protest.

"Now isn't that convenient?" a voice drawled out of the darkness. Goku leapt backwards, summoning Nyoibou as the feel of youryoku swarmed around him. There was a shuffle of footsteps in the darkness behind.

"Poor thing," another voice said, and its tone was anything but sympathetic. "Little kid's taken the wrong turn."

"I'll show you who's the kid!" Goku yelled, and charged.

Metal clashed upon metal, and the sounds of fighting filled the night.

*

The cold of the rain and the rustling of the trees made Hakkai's skin crawl. It was all too reminiscent of the past. Except then he'd been human, armed with nothing more than a blade. But the setting was the same, the rain was the same, the shifting darkness no different from... back then.

"You'd better hurry," a voice called out of nowhere, and involuntarily, he started. Paused. Glanced around sharply.

"Hurry, I said," the voice called again, from another direction and closer now.

Hakkai stopped completely. He laced his fingers and stretched, feeling tense back muscles loosen. A smile grew on his face as he stared up, watching the silver droplets run through the leaves. There was a growl nearby, and Hakkai's smile grew.

"The eastern side of the forest, you said. Isn't this it?"

"Further in. This way." He still couldn't see anything, but the voice was in front of him now.

"Why don't you just put in an appearance?" he asked politely. "It's far easier than having to play 'Follow my voice'. Besides, I won't shoot the guide."

"Shall we play follow the monk's screams, then?" a new voice asked sharply.

Hakkai's smile didn't slip, but his eyes narrowed. He continued forward, still maintaining a leisurely pace. There were a few enemies -- he was certain of that now. Several behind, several to each side, closing in in an ever tightening circle.

And the wind gusted through his hair, and the darkness shifted as he walked.

And walked.

And walked through time and space and memory.

*

One step.

"How did you do it?"

Hakkai glanced up from the book he'd been reading. Goku was staring at him, chin on arms, arms crossed against the back of the chair.

"Do what, Goku?"

Goku tapped his ear lobe. "Put them back on again."

"Ah." So that was what the boy had been thinking about of late. He'd seemed distracted ever since that incident with Kinkaku. He raised a hand to brush across the silvered surface of the limiters. They were cold, far colder than metal so close to skin should feel. The mere touch sent a needle all the way down his finger into his forearm, and he shuddered away. "Ah."

"Come on, Hakkai," Goku said. "I mean... how could you can stay in control when..." his voice dropped. "I can't even remember what happens when I take off my limiter, but..." he stared at his hands. "I know that putting the limiter back on is the last thing on my mind."

Not that it isn't close to the last thing on mine, Hakkai thought ruefully. It was hard to explain. It wasn't something that he was ready to talk about; wasn't something that he was even sure was real. It certainly wasn't something he understood, himself.

"I'm afraid I can't help you there."

"Why not?" Goku asked, more confused than offended.

Hakkai shrugged helplessly. "Because..."

*

Two steps.

"Genjo Sanzo Houshi, Zainin ยท Cho Gonou... Enter."

He'd been staring at the doors, intrigued by the patterns that ran across the surface. Gold doors, almost three times the height of a man, with three great wheels engraved upon them.

Wheels of ... what? He'd wondered vaguely. Karma seemed the answer; the endless cycles of life. But he was hardly concerned with life now. It was hard to think beyond the numbness that had grappled claws into his mind.

Something had changed on that barren land where Hyakuganmaou's castle had once stood. Something in his own soul had been razed flat by that sight. Sanzo had brought him there for a purpose, he realized. Had brought him there to see the end of the chapter that he'd started, perhaps to show him that... even at the end, there was no end. There was just... nothingness.

And when the grief and the anger had started to sweep up again, Sanzo's voice had come to him like first rays of morning -- brushing away even the anguish of the night, wrenching the last thing he had from his grasp.

Then there had been nothing, just the light of the sun shining impartially down across the world.

*

And Hakkai's next step brought him out of the forest into a clearing. He stopped, and around him, the circle of youkai moved in, the jaws of the trap closing around its target.

***
TBC
***

Zainin -- Criminal

--

Um... okay, outtakes. Really bad humor. Mostly drawn from the previous chapters.

Remember Take #7?

Take #7b :

"There's not much we can do, besides relieve the symptoms," the physician said. "If he were in perfect health, I'd say that he would make a full recovery." But...

"I understand."

"Give him this, twice a day."

"Thank you.... wait, nicotine flavored condoms?"

"Tell him that the idea is to concentrate on sucking, not coughing."

***

Take #8

Hakkai blasted one of them away before the other two looked up. As they charged towards him, he took one down, then the last slipped, tumbled sideways... and disappeared.

"Holy shit!" the wind brought a voice to his ears, and he was sure of it now -- it was Goku. At the same time, there was a scream, a youkai howl of pain. As he rushed forward, he saw why.

Hakkai paused in shock silence for a moment. Then he gathered the breath to yell : "Seiten Taisei Son Goku! Put your limiter back on this instant! And your pants!"

***

Take #9

And when the grief and the anger had started to sweep up again, Sanzo's voice had come to him like first rays of morning -- brushing away even the anguish of the night, wrenching the last thing he had from his grasp.

"Dude," said the voice. "Pot is good for you."

***

Take #10

Goku stared, squinting through the rain. Not for the first time, he wondered why Hakkai had entrusted Hakuryuu to him. He hadn't even had a chance to talk to the older man about it -- Hakuryuu had simply come flying out after him, alighted on his shoulder, and refused to go back.

Elsewhere

"I'm glad you got rid of that annoying dragon for a change. I hate having an audience."

"Ah, but having a third party makes it more fun, doesn't it? Sanzo."

"Weirdo."

"Besides, it wasn't entirely for your sake. Poor Hakuryuu gets so traumatized every time we do this."

***

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