Sai Orlianna: I LIVE!!! No I'm not dead. Sosososososo sorry this took me so

very, very , VERY long to write. It was Christmas and all plus a

case of severe writer's block but here's the next chapie. please

R&R. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THEM SO LAY OFF!!!

Fate Plays Her Hand

Ch. 14

Unexpected Truths

Sanzo sat by the window, waiting for the coming dawn. His tired eyes scanned the dark area as he lit his latest cigarette. He sat back as the fading moonlight washed over his pale form. He tried to relax but this too seemed to avoid him. His body had refused to relax all night giving him a very restless sleep. His mood had not altered much since they had arrived. Once again, his frustration revolved around that damned woman. His mind was playing tricks on him again, filling up with images of her, how hurt she looked when he insulted her, the way that blue kimono wrapped around her bringing out the cool blue of her eyes. Her eyes, a bottomless pit of emotion she vainly tried to hide. Somewhere deep within him yearned to just fall into those eyes. Shaking his head, he forced these thoughts from his mind. He tried to focus on the present. Soon they would be rid of that annoying female and her friends and then everything would be back to the way it was…wouldn't it? Hurried footsteps stopped him from pursuing this new thought. His door flew open. Blinded for a moment by the light Sanzo squinted as Hakkai's voice filtered in.

"Sanzo, Nara's gone!" Hakkai said hurriedly.

Sanzo stood. "What do mean gone?"

Hakkai only shook his head. "I don't know. Goku woke me up saying she was gone. Everyone's meeting in the foyer, come on." He urged. Groaning, Sanzo followed him to the vast foyer where they had met several times before.

As Hakkai had said, everyone was their. Goyjo and a shaken looking Roxanne stood on the far side of the room. Sephira was next to them pacing slightly. Her eyes held something none had seen in them before-confusion and a note of panicked fear. Emma sat on the couch, her hands fidgeting nervously in her lap. Hakkai sat next to her, taking her small hands in his. Goku was sitting blank faced in a chair across from the others. Sanzo continued to scan the room. To his surprise, the guard Sam was showing the Merciful Goddess in. Sanzo walked over to where Goku sat and stood stoically behind him.

Kanzeon stood before them, her eyes shone with something none of them had seen there before - worry. She scanned the faces of those around her, finally landing on Goku. He stared at her, his grief mixed with a small light of hope. Sighing, she spoke. "I'm sorry. The guards saw no one." Goku's expression fell once more at the news. Turning from him, Kanzeon addressed the others. "I do not know how it happened or who did it, but someone has kidnapped Nataku-sama."

"We figured that out already, you old hag." Sephira spat, her blue eyes downcast.

Emma turned to her, placing her hand on Sephira's arm in an attempt to calm her. "Sephira, they are doing the best they can."

Sephira pulled away from her friend. "What good has that done, nothing! After all the SHIT these people has put us through." She cried as her frustration built. After everything they endured, running, hiding, fighting, the trial…this was just too much. "Now they won't even let her leave in peace!"

"It's not like they knew someone was going to try and pull this stunt." Goyjo said, annoyed himself at having been pulled out of bed for this.

"Oh yeah, and I'm sure if they knew, they wouldn't have done a thing about it!" Sephira cried, glaring at the Goddess. Kanzeon only stared back, her cool eyes unreadable. The tension in the air began to grow as tempers flared. "Someone's got to know something about what happened!"

"No one knows a thing, Sephira!" Emma yelled, standing to confront her friend. "The only thing we can do is wait until we figure out what to do."

"Wait? WAIT?!" Sephira yelled, not believing Emma's suggestion. "Wait while they do Lord knows what to her?"

"Emma's right, Sephira." Hakkai said, standing next to Emma. "We can't do a thing in this state. As a leader, you should know that."

Sephira stared back at him, his words sending a cold wave over her mounting anger. She was acting childish and she knew it, pitching a fit when they should be forming a plan. She mentally kicked herself for being so petty. Taking a deep breath, she took control of her rage, pushing it down, letting logic take its place. "Gomen. I lost my head." She looked down, ashamed at her display. Soon, though, her mind tried to formulate what facts they knew. "When did you notice she was gone?"

All eyes turned to Goku, who continued to sit in silence. He looked up, noting the stares aimed at him. Not able to meet their gazes, he looked down. "I'm not sure. She was right here when we fell asleep. When I woke up, she was gone." Goku said pulling something from his pocket. "They left this." Goku held a small roll of yellowed parchment.

Sanzo took it and unrolled it. He scanned it quickly before passing it off to Hakkai. Emma looked on as Hakkai read it aloud. " 'War Prince be safe 'til Heretics come. Come swift for the blood of old flows again. Follow the blood stained trail back to where it all began and see what Fate has in her horrid plan.' There's no signature."

Sephira snatched the letter from Hakkai and quickly read it again. "Follow the blood stained trail back to where it all began…Fate's horrid plan? This letter makes no sense at all."

"It's a riddle, Sephira." Emma said as she watched her friend.

"I gathered that much, Emma; what I'm saying is that riddle's such as these hold some sort of clue, but I can't make these out at all." Sephira said.

"That's because they refer to a history lost to you." Kanzeon's smooth voice said as she stood watching them with her cool eyes. "You cannot figure this letter out because you do no know to whom he if referring."

"And you know?" Sephira shot. Her blue eyes locked with the Goddess's as she awaited her answer.

Kanzeon sighed. "Yes, but I am not the one to tell you. There is one among you more suitable to relay the tale."

Sephira stared at her in disbelief. What did she mean by that?

"Li Touten."

Sephira froze. She turned as all eyes landed on the pale form of Roxanne. Her eyes were downcast as an ageless sorrow filled them.

"It was Li Touten. He took Nara."

"Roxanne…how did you…?" Goyjo asked as he looked into his lover's eyes. The words faded from his lips as his crimson eyes met hers. She stared up at him as a single tear burned her cheek. Her eyes, once misty with blind darkness, now shown silver with an ageless wisdom that seemed to spurn from her soul. Without a word, she traced his jaw with her smooth hand. Goyjo gasped…at that moment she was seeing him for the first time.

"Welcome back to the world of the Seeing, Lady Amelia." Kanzeon's voice broke the stunned silence around her.

Roxanne turned from Goyjo and stood regally before the Goddess. "My sight is not the only thing I have regained, milady." Roxanne said, her voice lined with power not to be trifled with.

"I realize that." Kanzeon said facing her old friend again. "I had not expected him to try something like this."

"You of all people should remember the things he is capable of." Roxanne said, her voice filled with meaning.

The Merciful Goddess closed her eyes, taking the full meaning of those words to heart. "Of course. I should have seen this coming. For that, I apologize." Kanzeon said before she opened her eyes. She held Roxanne's gaze for several moments before continuing. "I can guess what you plan to do, but is it wise?"

"It is the only way." Roxanne stated solemnly. "If I do not, all is lost."

"Wait a minute." Goyjo's usually smooth voice now shook as he spoke. "What's going on here." His eyes turned to his lover, unsure of what to think. "Rox…what is she talking about? Who's Li Touten?"

Roxanne sighed as she turned to him. Her expression was that of one doing something she may soon regret. Her voice held a deep regret as she spoke. "It's time for me to give back what has been stolen."

Goyjo stared at her as she approached him, worry filling him. A sad smile crossed her lips as she stepped closer to him. "Rox, what's going…" Her lips stopped his as she placed her cool hand over his eyes. The others stared in disbelief as Roxanne stepped back. Goyjo was frozen.

Goku watched as Roxanne stepped to each of them one by one. Each time whispering something as she placed her hand over their eyes and each time the person stood frozen. Emma and Hakkai had quietly allowed her to do it. Sephira tried to question her but was soon silenced. Goku noticed as Roxanne approached that a wall of tears threatened to fall. Roxanne stood in front of Sanzo now. Goku watched as she whispered something only Sanzo could hear before placing her hand over his eyes. His heart was pounding in his ears as she approached him, her tears now began to fall. Goku's golden eyes met hers. She looked at him with pain. Something inside him knew she didn't want him to endure this. Gathering what strength he could, he nodded reassuringly at her.

Her voice shook slightly as she spoke. "I'm afraid you will suffer the most from this, Son Goku." Goku smiled at her, trying his best to let her know that whatever it was, he could take it. Her cool hand soon covered his eyes. Before darkness overcame his senses, he heard her smooth voice once more. "I'm sorry…"

Goku felt himself fall as if being pushed back. Pain erupted from the back of his mind as in him something shattered. He tried to scream but nothing came. His heart began to beat widely as images from no where flooded his consciousness. Memories of a time long forgotten. With each passing memory the pain in his head increased. The images flew by faster and faster revealing faces, names, places, and events. His mind struggled desperately to take in everything he was seeing. A scream pierced the jumbled mess of his mind. He turned as an image began to float by. Time seemed to freeze. There before his eyes was Nara…no Nataku stabbing himself. The crimson blood surrounded him as time regained its speed. Goku gasped as the final images passed. As if being yanked by a cord, he felt himself fall forward slamming back into reality, the image of Nataku still burning in his mind.

He felt his body go limp as control returned to him. He caught himself before he collapsed. His breath came in ragged gasps as he clutched his heart, willing it to calm. Tears burned heated trails down his face as the image of Nataku…no, his Nara branded the back of his eyes. A new feeling slowly took the place of the pain pounding in his head. An intense hate for the man called Li Touten. He had to get her back, and when he did, he was going to kill him.

A heavy silence fell over the small group. Goyjo could not believe what he had just seen. When he came to, he saw his love watching him. Without a word, he grabbed her, holding her close, not wanting to let her go. He lost her once, he wasn't going to again. Roxanne's heart burst as she fell into his embrace. She let the tears fall as he held her. The warmth of his arms held a new, truer meaning now. The lovers had finally found each other again.

Emma was sitting on the couch, her hand covered her trembling lips. Had she seen what she thought, had she done those things? Her cheeks burned red as her new memories came back. Her heart pounded, she wasn't sure if she could look Hakkai in the eye after this. She took a deep breath, trying to focus on the problem at hand. Hakkai stood not to far from Emma, his back slightly turned from her. He too was experiencing the same feelings. A blush burned his cheeks as he tried to focus as well.

A choked scream broke the silence as Sephira came too, falling to her knees. She began to shake uncontrollably as sobs racked her body, her eyes blank as tears fell unabashed from them. Her trembling hands clutched tightly around her stomach. She lifted her distraught gaze trying to meet Sanzo's eyes, searching for an answer. Sanzo stared back at her, disbelief evident there. He had seen her at her worst time, but none of them prepared him for what he saw now. Sephira lay broken before him, as if all the strength she ever had was suddenly and cruelly ripped from her. A fresh wave of pain consumed him as he looked at her, knowing full well what she had seen and knowing what it had done to him. His heart screamed to comfort her, to protect her once more, but his mind held him to his place. New tears fell from her eyes as he turned from her. Desperately seeking the comfort she needed she called to the only other person she could. "Sam?"

Sam's heart clenched as she called him. He didn't need to be told what she had just seen. He rushed to her, taking her into his arms as she cried, even screamed, in his arms. Her scream held the pain of loss that everyone in the room felt at that moment. Her voice came out between her shuddered sobs. "He… stole them…that bastard…HE STOLE THEM FROM ME!!" Sam was speechless, just holding her as she cried. He knew too well what she spoke of. He had been living with that pain for far too long. Oh yes, he knew it well. Sephira's sobs slowly quieted giving the tense silence rule once more.

Kanzeon Bosatsu took observed the small group, expecting much of what she had seen. Now they knew why. Why everything had happened and why they were here now. The final question remaining for them was what they were going to do about it.

"Kanzeon." The Merciful Goddess turned as Goku's voice caught her attention. His voice, though steady, was underlined with an intense hatred aimed at only one man. "Li Touten, because of him…"

"Because of him, you all died." Kanzeon said, her voice steady. "Because of him, you are all here again." She turned to the small group, gaining their attention as she spoke. "He seems to want your deaths once more." She locked eyes with everyone in the room in turn as she continued. "But something happened which he did not see. Now, what will you do? Will you let history repeat itself, or will you change the path set before you?"

"We will not let him have his way again." A voice hissed. All eyes turned as Sephira slowly stood, her fists clenched yearning for the familiar feeling of a blade in them. A dangerous emotion burned in her eyes as she looked up. "Where is he?"

………………………………………

Nara felt dizzy. Her mind was in a fog as she tried to wake up but her eyelids seemed to be made of rocks for they refused to lift. What had she drunk last night to make her feel this bad. "Goku…" Her voice cracked as she tried to speak through parched lips. She tried once more to open her eyes. With a little more success, she peered out from under her eyelids to a dark, fuzzy scene. "Goku?" she called once more.

"Ah, I see you are awake. Finally."

A cold, familiar voice broke through the fog in her mind. Before she could register a thing, something cold was forced to her lips. A bitter liquid hit her tongue. Choking, she tried to swallow. The thick liquid burned her throat, fully waking her. A cruel laugh filled her ears as she tried to move. She panicked as she felt the cool steal holding her in place.

"It's no use, my child, no one can break those chains, not even you."

"Who's there?!" Nara spat, trying to calm her heart. "Release me at once if you want live!"

"Now, now, is that any way to greet your father? And after all the trouble it took me to get you here."

"Father?" Nara stared around the dark room in confusion. "I have no father...I…" Cruel laughter filled her ears again as realization slowly dawned on her face. "No…" Nara looked up as Li Touten stepped haughtily into the light.

"My child, I knew you wouldn't have so easily forgotten the one who made you."

"What do you want with me?"

"You? Oh no my child, it's not you I'm after, it's you little friends."

"What?!" Nara cried in shock. "What do they have to do with this."

"They have everything to do with this." He hissed. Nara stared at him in disbelief as he came closer to her. "So many years ago they ruined my plans, each and every one of them, meddling in there own way. It took me centuries to recover and set into motion my plan once more."

"What?" Nara whispered.

She recoiled as he touched her cheek. "Ah, my Nataku, you were always so patient. But even after 500 years, one would get bored. Is that why you ran off?"

Nara jerked away from his touch. "I ran because I was sick of this place. Sick of the pain you caused me that tormented me even in the recesses of my mind!"

Nara glared at him, the hatred of 500 years burning in her golden eyes. His laughter rang again as he stood. "Now, my boy…oh wait, you are female now." He said, his voice smooth with malice. "That's no way to begin since you are playing a key part in my plan, as you always have. It wasn't easy getting you back here after you ran."

"What do mean? I was arrested for breaking a taboo, anyone would be tracked down for that!"

"Yes, but who was the first to discover you were gone and then find where you were?" He smirked evilly at her. "Of course, I had to get your friends involved in this. That meant that silly master of yours had to go, so I paid some demons with a grudge to solve that small problem."

Nara gaped in shock, not believing what she had just heard. Pain gripped her heart as the memory of her sensei, the only real father to her, flooded her mind. His death just a tool in this sick plan?

"Then of course, I had to send the troops, led by that Captain Sam, to all the right places. The only problem, how to get the Sanzo party involved once more. Luckily, they had just returned from India! A small suggestion by an underling took care of that one for me." He smiled at his own genius. "It all went according to my plan. I knew that simpleton Sam would bring the mortals with him as soon as you were caught; owing that his former Master and Mistress was with them."

'Master and Mistress? What was he going on about?' Nara's mind was wheeling at this new bout of information.

"And, of course, I knew that old hag Kanzeon would make sure that they didn't sentence you to a miserable death so I had make sure somebody did so she could counter it." He laughed at the greatness of his plan. "The rest was so easy, I didn't even have to break in. I just had one of the servants drug your drink and deliver you to me at the right time."

Nara stared at him, her hate of him doubled as she listened. "So it was you the whole time? You set all this up and…and we fell for it." Nara couldn't believe how easily he had toyed with them.

"Oh yes, but even I couldn't predict the wonderful little things that occurred between the broken lovers. Oh it was sweat irony. To find each other again only to die…again." His grin twisted madly as crazed malice filled his eyes. "And so with them gone, and you at my side once more, my plan will succeed."

Nara shook her head in defiance. "No! Never!"

"Oh but you will." Touten said. "I believe they are on there way right now, charging in to save you only to meet their death." Nara stared at him, trying to keep the fear from her eyes. "Oh yes, I can see it now. Mortals try to attack Heaven, but the once mighty War Prince Nataku stops them, saving heaven and regaining his place as the rightful Prince, with his father by his side."

Nara could not believe what she was hearing. She shook her head, screaming "I will never follow your plan, never again!"

"You have no choice."

Nara stared at him, despising every inch of him. How could someone toy with people so easily? She began taking deep breaths, trying not to lose control of the rage burning within her.

A soldier entered from the far side of the room, kneeling quickly before his dark lord. "Milord! The mortals have arrived. Your orders?"

Touten smiled. "Perfect. Let them in and initiate the attack."

"Yes milord." Nara watched helplessly as the soldier turned and ran to fulfill his orders.

"You see, my dear, my plan is almost complete." He said, gaining her attention once more. "There is nothing you or your friends can do."

Nara laughed. "You forget one thing, my friends are not who they used to be."

"Neither are you!"

Before she could retort, something was pressed against her mouth, forcing her to gasp in the drug that stole her from reality.

……………………………………….

"What no welcoming party?" Goyjo said as they entered the eerily silence of the room. A few torches burned, revealing four different paths to take. "So…um…which way do we go?" The small group stood, gazing from one hall to another.

"We should split up, each take a hall." Sephira said.

"One of them is bound to lead us to Nara." Goku agreed as he scanned each hall.

"Don't let your guard down, guys, they won't let us just prance in."

"Thanks for the obvious, Roxanne." Sephira shot. Her hands shook with anticipation. All she wanted to do right now was get her hands on that son of a bitch who was screwing with their lives.

"She's right, Sephira." Sanzo said. Sephira rolled her eyes, he was the last person she wanted to take orders from. "Don't be hasty and rush into a trap."

"Don't order me around, monk!" Sephira spat. Ignoring him, or just being defiant, she ran down the nearest hall.

"Baka." Sanzo said as he started after her, but almost in timing too good, soldiers started pouring in from all sides. "Damn it!" Sanzo said as his path filled with soldiers.

Roxanne and Goyjo cut their way through the soldiers, following Sephira down the dark hall. "Don't worry Sanzo, I'll make sure she doesn't die on you!" Goyjo called as he ran off, with a dozen soldiers giving chase.

Sanzo rolled his eyes as he stared attacking. Why would he care if that woman got herself killed…again…he growled, anger building inside him. "SPLIT UP!" He yelled as he shot down a few more soldiers. He saw Hakkai grab Emma's hand and head down the middle hallway. Goku darted down another, taking out a few soldiers in the process. Sanzo turned and headed down the last corridor with soldiers on his heals. Sanzo swore if they survived this thing, he was going to kill her.

End ch. 14

Sai Orlianna: Soooo, bet you didn't see THAT one coming! HAHA! Stay tuned

For exciting conclusion, as soon as I write it. ;; Please R&R. ja!