Title: Man of Science
Author: Diva Urd
Beta: Zelgadis55 (thank you!)
Chapters: 2
Pairing: None
Warnings/Rating: PG-13 for adult themes
Disclaimers: Saiyuki is owned by Minekura Kazuya and the distributors of anime and manga. The writing of this fic did not and will not involve monetary gain of any kind on my part.
My beta and I checked the information used in this fic against the anime up to Gunlock episode 6 and the Reload manga up to chapter 13j (Burial Arc - The Saga of Ukoku Sanzo). In case of discrepancies of manga and anime timeline, I went with the anime, since I am more familiar with it.
If you find any part of the fic clashing with canon up to that point, please notify me, and I will try to fix the problem. Any information after that point in the timeline will render this fic effectively AU (I expect that to happen with the next incarnation of Saiyuki at the very latest), since I will probably not be able to keep it 100 percent conform to the background provided later on.
This story is set after Saiyuki Reload episode 16.
This fic contains a major spoiler for the end of Reload and related information disclosed in the manga.
Man of Science
Chapter 1
Houtou Castle: Dark and foreboding it rises to the sky, where heavy clouds proclaim their dominion. It is late; by now, most of its inhabitants have gone to sleep. However, down in the basement laboratories, one person is still awake. A man of many identities, many names.
Kenyu. Ukoku Sanzo.
Nii Jenyi.
He studies the screens that monitor the prince's life signs. Everything seems to be in order, the procedure Kougaiji is being subjected to proceeds smoothly.
Glasses flashing, he settles back down at his desk, absently scratching at the band-aid that covers a recent shaving nick on his once-again beard-shadowed cheek. Houtou Castle… the place he has been in the longest for quite some time. He does not mind, though; the opportunities of his current position are vast enough to keep him entertained for quite some time yet.
His thoughts wander back to the night eleven years ago, when he first happened upon the black walls of his current home…
Dust. Nothing but dust, covering everything in the musty darkness with a blanket half a millennium old. Ukoku Sanzo wrinkled his nose. He had imagined the place of Gyuumaou's reign of terror to be a little more interesting…but there, what was that?
A nearby wall displayed the relief of a youkai woman. A fairly young face, intricately carved to capture every detail. Narrow shoulders that seemed to sink into the stone, as if…
… as if this was no work of art at all.
Ukoku remembered: Some of the unlucky inhabitants of Houtou Castle had been sealed along with Gyuumaou by the War God.
His fingers traced the petrified strands of hair, the long, pointed ears, and he wondered: Was it possible for a mortal to break the seal?
Any other man would have immediately wondered if potentially angering the Gods was really worth it, and dismissed the thought without a second glance. But Ukoku Sanzo was different. He never needed a reason for his actions. His curiosity was enough of a motive for him. And more importantly, he did not have anything more pressing to do at the moment, anyway.
Nii grabs his bunny doll, smirking. Of course, he did break the seal in the end. It had appeared to be nothing more than a collateral sealing; the main force had been directed at Gyuumaou himself.
"Well, my dear", he purrs, holding the plush toy with both hands in front of him as he directs another glance at the monitors showing the unconscious youkai, "do you think our precious prince has any idea that I could have unsealed his beloved mother at any time? Her seal, while stronger, is of the same kind as the one that bound Gyokumen Koushu. But why bother? Unsealing her would do nothing but deprive us of considerable manpower…"
He chuckles and lights himself a cigarette.
After consulting with various libraries in the general vicinity, Ukoku Sanzo found the answers to his questions. The old tome the incantation was written in was almost as dusty as his current object of study; mould had begun to eat away at the leather-bound cover, and any sudden movement would make the pages crumble into brittle pieces of near-fossilized parchment.
Now the ancient book lay before him, opened at the vital page. Of course, the spell would need a powerful magical object to channel its inherent energy; Ukoku's Muten sutra would serve that purpose.
Prior to the experiment, he had discarded his robes in favor of a somewhat worn lab coat and jeans – if this worked, he would not want to provoke an adverse reaction of his study subject by showing his rank. The fact that his master had not been able to formally bestow his title onto him came in handy; a chakra on his forehead would have given him away immediately.
Ukoku draped the sutra over the sealed figure, took a step back to keep his gaze on the tome, and began chanting.
The stone surface under the sutra slowly began to glow, as if emanating heat. After what seemed like an eternity, cracks of bright white light appeared and quickly widened. Finally, with a curious sound like many crystal glasses shattering on a stone floor all at once, the seal broke. The freed youkai woman fell to her knees with a gasp.
Ukoku Sanzo smiled in satisfaction. Once again, he had accomplished what he had set out to do. And ultimately, that was all that mattered to him.
The cigarette has burned down to the filter, staining the band-aid on Nii's index finger yellow with its nicotine fumes. Oddly, the reminiscence of freeing Gyokumen induces feelings of nostalgia. Not because he is in any way emotionally attached to her, even though she might believe otherwise – no, because his ad hoc decision to break her seal turned out to be the beginning of his greatest scheme yet. Money, fame, relationships – none of these things are of any importance to him. Achieving his goals through cunning manipulation and pulling the strings in the background are his life's blood. That is why he ultimately discarded his Sanzo title – there was no sense of accomplishment in achieving a goal if people fell over themselves to aid you, even though you did not ask for help.
Nii leans back in his chair, reveling in the memories of the moment the plot to revive Gyuumaou was conceived…
Wild-eyed, the youkai woman stared up at Ukoku. Her long hair, greenish-turquoise in color, was in a state of disarray due to her fall. He smiled down at her; a friendly face would relax the subject and serve his purpose of gathering information far better than a neutral expression.
"Welcome back among the living, milady", he began the conversation with a genuflection. "You have been asleep for a very long time."
"W…what happened to me?" The woman's voice cracked as her vocal chords protested against being utilized again after five centuries of disuse.
Ukoku decided to be blunt, probing for a reaction. "You were sealed in stone when the War God punished Gyuumaou for his transgressions. That was 500 years ago."
The reaction was somewhat disappointing; her eyes did not widen in disbelief, neither did she gasp in shock. Instead, she sighed wearily and closed her eyes. When they opened again, her gaze was hard, commanding, and Ukoku felt a brief surge of desire tingling within him as she spoke again in a voice suddenly much firmer, much colder.
"Tell me, did you manage to free my beloved Gyuumaou as well?"
There was no hint of gratitude in her tone. The question did not sound like a request; it was demanding and brash.
He feigned surprise. "I had no idea you were the fabled Rasetsunyo, milady – I had hoped to have unsealed someone of import, but this is an honor I could have never hoped for…"
Of course, he had familiarized himself with the castle while preparing for the experiment, and he knew exactly that this woman was not Gyuumaou's Queen. This time, he got a reaction that he was prepared for – as her clawed hand shot out towards him, he side-stepped it and put on a hurt expression.
"Now now, it's not very nice to kill the man who freed you, now is it?"
"Insolent human fool!" she foamed, "I was the most important person of Gyuumaou's court. My name is Gyokumen Koushu; I was the king's mistress after Rasetsunyo repeatedly refused him! I bore his child!"
Another pretended emotion crept on his face; this time, it was awe.
"Forgive me, Lady Gyokumen Koushu; I wasn't aware of your high standing."
She seemed placated by his apology. "Very well, I shall forgive you this time. Now, did you free him?"
Ukoku shook his head. "I am afraid not, milady. His seal is by far the strongest of them all, since his was the one the Toushin Taishi focused on the most. Yours, as well as all others, were only collateral effect, so to speak. I am not sure if I could manage to free Gyuumaou with my meager resources."
Her gaze fell on the sutra lying next to her, and she fingered it curiously.
"Isn't that one of the sutras of Earth Creation? Where did you get this?"
He shrugged and lied, "I found it on my way here. It seemed the Sanzo who owned it had no further need of it – it was draped over his remains."
Gyokumen nodded slowly; obviously, she believed him. However, she still had not forgotten her main objective.
"What would it take to free my beloved?"
Ukoku wondered for a moment whether he should just tell her that it was impossible to break the seal of the demon king, since it wasn't in his nature to help people just for the hell of it… but then again, the prospect of outwitting the Gods by breaking the seal did have incredible allure. What more could a man whose life purpose it was to prove himself superior to anyone and everyone wish for?
"Well?" Gyokumen Koushu pressed.
"I would need a large amount of technical equipment, a person with superior life force to induce the process, since my feeble human force won't nearly be enough for a seal of this magnitude…and, I hate to say it, we will probably need all the Earth Creation Sutras to channel the magic."
He shrugged, feigning a saddened expression. These days, his facial muscles were really getting a workout…
"Furthermore, even if we got all the necessary items, we would break the ultimate taboo – amalgamating science and magic, since supernatural means alone will probably not suffice to override a spell from a God. There is no way to tell what will happen in the process -"
Gyokumen's reaction was immediate. "I don't care!" she announced, her eyes burning. "What does it matter to me what happens to the world… my happiness lies with my beloved, everybody else is expendable."
Ukoku grinned. Even though she was no more than an experimental subject in his eyes, he was beginning to like the woman's attitude. The tingle of lust returned, and some of it crept into his tone as he replied, "I trust I will be sufficiently compensated for my services?"
She got what he meant at once, and her lips curved upwards in a sultry smile. Obviously, her attachment to Gyuumaou had nothing to do with fidelity.
"Appropriate payment can be arranged, I believe…What is your name, human?"
Ukoku Sanzo had always had a way with names. He had used a lot of them in his past, and a new one formed in his mind immediately after the question was asked.
"Dr. Nii Jenyi, at your service."
Nii runs his hands through his disheveled black shock of hair. The "payments" were plentiful, indeed. To be frank, Gyokumen Koushu has always been nothing short of a nymphomaniac, befitting her demanding personality. Of course, she believes herself to be the one in charge of this operation; she does not know how much he has influenced her ever since their first meeting. Ah, sweet manipulation!
Soon after the decision to commence with the Gyuumaou revival experiment, they did unseal former members of the demon king's staff and ordered them to gather the necessary technology. Some of them actually volunteered to be connected to the various computer systems through neurological interfaces, so they could monitor the proceedings in a more immediate way.
Three months later, the basis for the technological part of the operation was established, and other concerns gained priority. While most of the demons were familiar with magic, they were not educated in scientific disciplines. A small staff of scientists was needed, and they still had not decided on whom to use as the driving life force to induce the magical/energetic reaction that would start off the unsealing process…
When he presented the question to Gyokumen, Nii wondered whether she could come up with someone powerful enough to serve their purposes, yet docile enough to actually obey their orders. However, she had no problem doing so whatsoever.
"There are two possibilities. One would be Kougaiji, son of Gyuumaou and Rasetsunyo. Sadly, the woman has warped him – he has this whole ridiculous notion of personal honor and would probably refuse to aid us. And then, there's my daughter Lirin… to be honest, she quite annoys me, and if she weren't Gyuumaou's daughter, I would have put her to death a long time ago. However, if I play the 'loving mother' part long enough, she'll probably do whatever we tell her."
Nii nodded. "I will unseal her, then. Afterwards, I will leave for a while – to gather some new staff members and see whether I can find out where the other sutras are currently being kept. I will have to take the sutra with me, I am afraid, but it is not currently needed here, and I shall be back as soon as possible."
He left the hall in which the giant steel sarcophagus the sealed Gyuumaou was encased in was kept, which Gyokumen Koushu had selected for her 'throne room'. Actually, he already had an idea where at least two other sutras were being kept…
After another control of Prince Kougaiji's life signs, Nii decides to go for a little walk in the hallways; he did not get out of his laboratory the last couple of days, since Kougaiji's brainwashing procedure and certain other preparations to further the experiment's progress have taken up most of his time.
As he passes the door behind which Dr. Hwan sleeps, he briefly wonders what she might be dreaming about…Sadly, Hwan proved lately that she does not possess a single shred of imagination. Her constant nagging grates on him – maybe he should offer her a taste of the same procedure Kougaiji is being subjected to? That would probably shut her up for a while… and if not, the brainwashing should not make all that much difference with her inherent lack of personality.
He recalls: Upon their first meeting on his journey back east, her cold professionalism had been quite interesting. If he had known how annoying Hwan would turn out to be later, however, he might not have asked her to join him in his project.
For the first leg of the journey, Nii decided to travel in his 'civilian' attire; later, once he was far enough away from Houtou Castle to negate the chance of happening on one of Gyokumen's people, he would change into his Sanzo robes, to facilitate his journey by using his rank. He would have to wear it anyway upon approaching the person he was planning to visit; he might as well get used to the Sanzo attitude again.
A few weeks into the trip, he stopped in a small town just beyond the borders of Tenjiku. While he was enjoying his dinner in one of the local inns, he could not help but overhear some people talking.
"What do you mean, she rejected you?"
"I brought her flowers and even took a bath before asking her whether she wanted to go out with me, and she said no!"
"Well, old boy, we could've told you that from the start. Hwan is only interested in her work. The house she lives in smells like the portal to hell – I've heard she originally studied to be an apothecary, but branched out into half a dozen other disciplines as she went along. She's a bright one, Hwan is – but she's also as cold as an iceberg."
"Tch. I bet she's a dyke."
Nii had heard enough; the raucous laughter of the local patrons at that rather offensive comment told him that they were rapidly reaching ethanol saturation of their pathetic little brains, and manly bragging was not going to tell him where he could find this young woman – she sounded like someone who could easily oversee his little project while he was away. He got up and left the inn.
Outside, he wandered around for a bit until he unmistakably found the house the locals had been talking about. It smelled of sulfur and herbs, and the sign in the front proclaimed it to be a medicine shop. The door was unlocked, and he let himself in.
Inside, the odor intensified, but still did not reach an unpleasant level. Nii walked up to the counter; no clerk was in sight.
Suddenly, a feminine voice called out from the back room, "I'm sorry, I'll be right with you!"
A person, only visible as a silhouette in the smoke that wafted out of the door to the back, rummaged around a little, and water splashed when she washed her hands.
Finally, a young woman wearing glasses and a lab coat identical to the one he was currently clad in stepped out of the smoke. However, hers was pristinely white, and not a smudge showed on her face and hands, even though whatever she had been doing back there had probably involved a certain amount of messiness.
"What can I do for you, sir?" A professional tone, friendly yet clearly distanced.
He cleared his throat and smiled winsomely. "I'll make this brief, Miss Hwan. I heard about your prowess in various fields of science, and I would like to offer you an opportunity…"
Her voice turned cold. "Thank you, but whatever you're trying to sell me, I don't want it. Oh, and by the way, it's Doctor Hwan. Have a nice day."
She turned around and walked back into the smoky back room.
Nii grinned. With her refusal to even listen to him, Hwan had clearly qualified herself as a splendid addition to his staff; not only would she prove useful due to her vast amount of knowledge, her bristly attitude would also provide entertainment. He would not leave this town before he had gotten her to join the team…
He spent the night at the inn, devising a strategy to win the young woman over for his cause.
Early the next day, he returned to the medicine shop. This time, Hwan stood at the counter, reading a book while waiting for customers. She recognized him instantly.
"I am afraid that I still don't need anything from you, Mister…"
Nii put on a very professional expression.
"Oh, I apologize profoundly… there has been a misunderstanding. I never meant to sell anything to you, even though I might have sounded like it yesterday. And it's Nii Jenyi – Doctor Nii Jenyi."
Hwan looked up from her book, her face unreadable.
"Very well, Dr. Nii… tell me why you're here. I will listen. If I ask you to leave afterwards, please do so and don't bother me again."
He nodded, fighting a grin which threatened to appear on his carefully neutral mien. The first step had been made.
"Only fair. To make it short, I am currently working on a project which requires vast knowledge in various fields of science, and I am searching for capable minds to aid me in my efforts, especially since I currently have to leave for a while to organize some items vital for its completion. It is an undertaking that will earn the participants scientific acclaim and substantial amounts of money from our sponsors. I have heard of your reputation as a scientist and believe that you might just be the right person to join my staff. You have nothing to lose except some time if you decide to go and take a look at our project – if you aren't interested after having gone through our theses, you can come back here and pick up where you left off."
He stopped without urging her for an immediate answer, silently waiting for her to say something.
Hwan eyed him suspiciously.
"Where is the catch?"
Nii hesitated. If she had qualms about the taboo meshing of magic and science, his endeavors to interest her might find their end here. Then again, she would find out eventually, anyway, and he needed to know whether she would be working on the revival experiment when he returned to Houtou Castle or not.
"Two things. First of all, our employer is a youkai, and you will be working with a number of them during the course of this project. Is that a problem for you?"
She shook her head. "Why should it be?"
He nodded in satisfaction. "Very good. The second thing is that this project will involve science as well as magical rituals – you won't have to perform any of them, but you should be aware of the fact that this practice is technically forbidden by the Gods."
Hwan shrugged. "I don't believe in Gods or any of this mumbo-jumbo. I do know magic exists and that it is supposed to be some sort of antithesis to science as we know it, but I have never seen it performed, and I am quite sure that, if it has any effects, there is some sort of scientific explanation for it."
Nii smiled politely on the outside, on the inside, however, he was smirking gleefully at her naïveté. She would truly make an interesting puppet, almost as entertaining as Gyokumen Koushu herself.
"Well, those are the only things I can think of that could possibly be viewed as negative."
He conveniently left out the fact that this experiment was supposed to revive Gyuumaou; that one, he would have trouble explaining away. Better let his youkai associates do the talking – most of the ones he had unsealed for their purposes had been the demon king's loyal followers and would make him sound as innocent as a newborn kitten, should she be taken aback once she arrived at Houtou Castle and found out.
Hwan looked at him in silence for a while. Finally, she nodded once.
"Where do I have to go to see your project for myself?"
Hwan arrived at Houtou Castle two weeks afterwards and she has stayed ever since – obviously her scientific interest outweighed the fact that they are trying to revive a demon king reputed to have eaten humans. Of course, while her work was quite efficient at first, she began to second-guess things just a few months ago, to the point of questioning his authority. That is something he is not willing to take for a long time, and one of these days, he and Hwan will have a serious conversation about the topic…
He looks down at his plush bunny.
"But we did find another toy on this journey, didn't we, precious? One that will be quite a bit more effective and interesting to watch than boring old Hwan…"
After two more weeks of traveling eastward, Nii finally decided that a change of attire was in order; the Sanzo robes would grant him safer and more convenient passage than his lab coat.
Undisturbed, he passed through various towns, politely declining requests for prayers and sermons by pointing out that he was on an important pilgrimage and would have to move on as soon as possible.
The village he was currently passing through seemed to be just like the others, if maybe a little more run-down. Obviously, the people here seemed to be as backwards as their surroundings suggested; he observed a number of people in filthy clothes toil away at the side of the road, villagers with clubs watching over them. Slavery, it seemed. Crude, but sometimes rather effective, even though voluntary work tended to produce better results.
Inwardly shrugging, Ukoku Sanzo picked up his pace again. Suddenly, he felt something tugging at the sleeve of his robe. Looking down, he saw a blond, long-haired boy of maybe ten looking up at him out of one gray eye; the other one was bandaged shut. Around them, the villagers jeered – obviously, they didn't believe the kid would get away from them.
"Kami-sama, please take me with you", the boy asked, and Ukoku realized that he had already called him 'God' once when he had grabbed his sleeve. The overseers sneered.
"Might as well come back here, kid, Sanzos don't buy people – and what use would he have for you, anyway?"
The boy's resolve seemed to falter, but he did not seem ready to give up yet. Ukoku looked down at him, a thought beginning to manifest in his mind. It was customary among Sanzos to pick a disciple who would bear the sutra after them. Of course, he did not expect to die any time soon, and he was not really all that interested in holding up the tradition… but to take in a mind so young and totally malleable and form it in any way he liked – eventually, it would provide him with the ultimate tool, a plaything at his whim. Having a disciple might turn out to be practical later. If he aggravated him, Ukoku could always rid himself of the burden and move on; it was worth a try.
He made a decision and began to smile at the boy.
"Tell me, my boy… do you believe God exists?"
He had bought the child from the slavers and taken him along. The boy did not seem to have a name, but was perfectly fine with being called 'boy' for the time being. He did not see a reason to give him a name at that time, and it proved to have a quite interesting psychological effect: Lacking identity in conjunction with his having been a slave, the boy seemed to view himself as an extension of his new master rather than a separate person. This, along with the fact that he quickly showed aptitude for various forms of magic, made him a tool even more perfect than Nii could have hoped for.
Nii smiles. Yes, taking the child on as a disciple has been a stroke of genius. His knack for all kinds of enchantments, along with the various toys he provided him with, will be quite an obstacle for a certain traveling group very soon. He wonders whether Genjo Sanzo will remember him…
Months of traveling and instructing the boy followed, until Ukoku Sanzo and his new charge finally arrived at Kinzan temple where the errant monk intended to have a conversation with the owner of the Seiten and Maten sutras, Koumyou Sanzo. He sent the kid off to occupy himself for the time during which he and his fellow Sanzo reacquainted themselves. It had been a few years. To be honest, he still did not really know just what his relationship with Koumyou was – friendship, rivalry, suspicion or all-out dislike? Koumyou Sanzo was enigmatic - a picture of aloof serenity which crumbled every so often under the fact that the man was frequently scatterbrained.
He found the master of the temple leaning against a tree trunk, reddish-brown leaves piled at his feet, gazing off into the clear blue sky. In one hand, he held a pipe, in his other, there was a bright orange paper plane.
"Hello, Koumyou..." Ukoku began as he felt that he had come close enough to the other man. Obviously, the monk had not even realized that he was there, because he started slightly at the greeting.
"Ukoku; always a pleasure to see you again. How long has it been?"
The black haired monk scratched his head, pretending to think about it when in truth he remembered their last encounter vividly.
"Why, I believe the last time we met was about six years ago."
He smiled unpleasantly, remembering the conversation they had had during their last meeting...
... about how Jikaku-houshi had likened Koumyou to the moon, while Ukoku represented the darkness of night in his eyes. If it came to a confrontation, which one would prevail, the moon, or the night?
That had been when Koumyou had predicted that the one ultimately rising above everything would be neither moon nor night... but the sun.
The other Sanzo nodded.
"So, what have you been doing in all this time?"
Ukoku shrugged. "This and that… I traveled a lot. Finally managed to find myself a disciple, too. He's still rather uneducated – I found him in a slaver's village."
Koumyou raised an eyebrow. "And you were actually compassionate? That's a side of you I didn't know existed."
The black-haired monk snorted. "Don't be ridiculous. He simply seemed to be the right one to fill the position, that's all."
A moment of silence passed during which both of them looked up to the slowly reddening sky.
Ukoku was the first to speak up again.
"Looks like it's going to be a very dark night."
Koumyou smiled at him. "And yet the sun will rise again tomorrow."
His visitor turned away to conceal a rather vicious smile appearing on his features.
'We shall see about that, old friend,' he thought.
A noise behind him caught his attention, and he caught sight of his charge, apparently engaged in some sort of conversation with another child. The other kid seemed to be somewhat unsettled – the boy's particular charm was probably factoring into that.
Ukoku walked over to them, calling out, "Girls don't like troublesome boys. Come here."
The boy smiled and obeyed. "Yes, master."
Now, the black-haired Sanzo managed to get a closer look at the blond child, and he realized that he had been wrong.
"Oh, you're a boy? I apologize. You're so cute; I thought you were a girl."
When the boy scowled at him in dismay, he made the connection. This child had to be Koumyou's disciple, Kouryuu. His hair, reflecting the fading evening light, shone golden – like the sun.
'Is he the one Koumyou meant by sun?'
It was quite possibly so; he sensed duality in the kid, scorching fire of disdain and warming rays of compassion…
"A person with both good and evil inside him…" he muttered to himself, but only realized he had voiced his thoughts when large violet eyes turned upon him in unspoken question.
"Ah, I was just talking to myself."
He and Kouryuu sized each other up for a moment, and the kid's eyes narrowed in unmistakable suspicion. Obviously, Koumyou had not glossed over some of the more colorful items of his past in telling his disciple about him.
"Well, good bye, little Kouryuu", Ukoku finally broke the silence as he strode off, his charge trailing behind him.
He and the boy stayed at Kinzan until the following morning, and then left to go back towards the west.
Well, so much for the first part of the story (which was supposed to be a one-shot, but somehow got out of control... first time that ever happened to me ;-) ). The second part will follow in a week or so. Comments are, as always, appreciated!