Part 21: Sad Eyes Don't Lie

I know something is off when I kiss him goodbye, but I do my best to ignore it. Something tells me it's best to let Hakkai get this one out on his own. I hope that the three heads can get it out of his system. Seeing him like this makes me want to kill Nii even more. I'm honestly not certain I'll be able to control myself enough not to kill him. That's what Goku's for. Glancing back over my shoulder, I see him waving to us.

After this is all over, I promise you, we'll live the life we dreamed of so long ago. I'm doing this now only because you asked me to. You know in your heart that I can deny you nothing. You are my life and my soul.

Kougaiji and Goku are unusually quiet as we follow the directions Hakkai gave us to find Nii. I've never seen Goku this focused on anything before. I almost miss the hyper monkey…key word almost. I'm no masochist. He used to get so buzzed before a good fight that you'd swear the runt was on something. The two of them used to go at it for hours while the rest of us simply went through the motions of a fight. I doubt Hakkai ever actually landed a hit on Yaone. But those two…heh, it was pathetic how much joy they got out of kicking the fuck out of each other.

"I can smell a shit load of blood," Goku says finally.

"That means Nii isn't far away. He's been upping his experiments from what I could find out through the demons left alive after Hakkai went off," Kougaiji explains.

I make sure my gun is fully loaded and take a few steps forward. There are few youkai outside of the small cottage, but nothing that we can't handle. Goku is five steps a head of me and ten ahead of the youkai. I don't even think they saw him before they went down. He smiles at me contentedly. I take everything back. The stupid chimp hasn't changed.

Inside the body of blonde haired woman lies on the floor in a pool of blood. So much for "Kanan." I side step the corpse and keep moving.

"Priest Sanzo, so glad you could make it." Nii smiles at me, and hold s up his bunny. "We've been so anxious to see if you would kill Gonou or die trying. Oh, well, so goes another experiment."

"You are one sick fuck, Nii. Gonou's long gone, but Hakkai lives," I say pointing my gun at his head.

"You make such a mockery of the Buddhist faith. You kill indiscriminately, and keep a male lover... a mass murderer no less. What a fine priest!" He laughs and it takes everything I have not to pull the trigger.

"You're done for, Nii, come with us or I'll just have to tell the heads that you were too much trouble to bring along."

"Oh, you frighten me! Tell me, how is Hakkai?"

"You leave him out of this!"

"Such beautiful green eyes he has. Pity they don't do much these day." I can see the gleam in his eyes and I already know what he's done.

"Bastard!" I pull the trigger without regret and watch as blood and brains spray the wall behind.

Walking away, I say nothing to my companions. So that was what was the matter this morning. Hakkai knew he was going blind. It all makes perfect sense now, and I can't believe that I wasn't smart enough to catch it before. I did think it was strange how closely he followed me in the hall. Damn it! Why didn't he tell me?

I hear the flap of wings over my head. Out of the sky lands a woman on dragon back holding the reins to two others. "Onela!" Kougaiji calls from behind.

The youkai smiles. "Mom sent me with dragons so you could meet the others at Chang An."

"Onela, how did you know we weren't done fighting yet? You could have been hurt!"

"But Dad, I can so kick ass too! Aunt Lirin was right. You are way to overprotective," she says rolling her eyes. "Hiya, baldy."

I cringe. Lirin should keep her mouth shut. "Kougaiji, did you have to reproduce?"

Onela crosses her arms over her chest. "Hey, I just brought you some transportation here!"

"Thanks," I say as I climb on the animals back. She doesn't get another word in before I am airborne.

Hakkai, why didn't you tell me?