Hello, all! In case none of you guys noticed, the last part of the previous chapter touched on the beginning of the 8th episode of the Saiyuki series, the one where Chin Iisou first comes in.
Once again, thanks to all of my reviewers who kindly took the time to review my stories, and also to the ones who didn't. Cheers and enjoy this one!
…
"I need that sutra. My circumstances have changed, too." the Empress Gyokumen drawled from her throne, fixing her stepson with a barely concealed contemptuous glare, one which he readily returned. They were forced into an uneasy alliance; Gyokumen wanted to resurrect Gyuumaou, and Kougaiji simply wanted his mother back, although whether the Empress would resurrect her was an entirely different thing. For now, he would just have to trust her.
What other choice did he have?
"Circumstances?"
"I haven't told you that, have I?" She unfurled a roll of paper, the end of which barely touched his feet. "The Seiten Sutra. One of the Firmament Foundation Sutras, said to have been possessed by the Gods when they created the world. The thing which controls hallowed evolution is the—"
Kougaiji had no time for any of her crap. The old hag could go on and on about her accomplishments somewhere else, because aside from setting his mother free, he didn't care what really happened to her. Besides, he knew this, anyway. He was not all that ignorant, something his stepmother seemed to firmly believe in. "The Seiten Sutra."
"You're every inch of Gyuumaou's son. Now I see the resemblance." The sugary tone in her voice sickened him. "You're so quick on the uptake."
"Let's cut the chit-chat." The prince said abruptly, seriously not wanting to know about her and the demon king. "Continue."
"Listen, the protectors of the five sutras bear the title of the 'High Priest Sanzo'."
Kougaiji's eyes widened in shock as he remembered the fight a month back, where he had to save Yaone. Sanzo? He really is a monk?
Gyokumen continued, her tone eager. "And my oh-so-skilled researcher Professor Nii made a very important discovery."
Kougaiji scowled, even as he heard footsteps coming up from behind him.
"My name is Nii Jienyi," A smooth, almost oily voice sounded. He didn't bother to turn back to see who addressed him. Any friend of Gyokumen's was not worth the effort to get to know. "Lord Kougaiji, I've heard many good things about you."
Good things? Why do I find that almost impossible to believe? The animosity between him and the Empress was apparent. This guy is one hell of a bullshitter. His dislike for the man went up a lot more. If there was one thing he hated, it was bootlickers. Spineless morons, the lot of them.
The slick voice continued. "With your permission, I'll explain this new discovery, Your Highness Empress Gyokumen." Urgh. Just when he thought there was no one more disgusting than the Empress.
Gyokumen simply smirked.
"It's quite simple, actually." Nii continued. "Regarding Empress Gyokumen's beloved—" He chuckled, realizing his slip. "Oh, also your father, I believe." He sounded entirely too entertained by this fact, and Kougaiji had to resist the urge to just sock the moron in the jaw. "In any case, for the resurrection of Gyuumaou, we need both the Seiten Sutra you see here and the Maten Sutra that Genjo Sanzo possesses."
"So you're saying, if both sutras are joined, this experiment, the revival of Gyuumaou will succeed, right?" He glared at the Empress, who was taking entirely too much amusement in this.
"What you really want to know is if the seal on that rasetsu woman will be broken, am I correct?" The condescension in her voice was evident, and Kougaiji tamped down a flash of anger. No use showing any of his emotions in front of this bitch.
"That's right."
"Why don't you hold your tongue about that until after you get the sutra?"
Kougaiji simply glared.
…
A ways away, hidden safely behind a wall, Lirin seethed in anger. "Man, she pisses me off! I don't care if she's my mom. She's one greedy old bitch!" She paused and thought for a moment, her irritation vanishing. It wasn't a surprise, considering she was still a child, and kids in general had attention spans of fruit flies. "Well, I don't know what this sutra or scroll thing is, but getting it oughta be so easy for me!" Yep, she was gonna get it, and besides, she was dying of boredom staying in this dump of a place, anyway.
Giggling to herself, she scampered away. Watch out, Sanzo-ikkou!
…
"Miss Qing? Are you all right?" Hakkai said as he took over the wheel, brilliant green eyes shining with concern. "You look a little sick."
She waved him off, shaking away the strange tingling feeling she felt. "I'm fine."
"Don't tell me you're still stunned over that demon thing. I never knew you were that pathetic, wench." Sanzo remarked offhandedly, puffing on a cigarette.
She rolled her eyes. "I never knew you were that lame, Monk Boy. I could've handled that fish guy just fine before you decided to put a bullet hole through his brain."
"You looked more like you were about to wet your pants."
"I'm wearing a dress, Helen Keller."
"What's a Helen Keller?" Goku asked, frowning. "Is it edible?"
"Helen Keller's a very blind person back in my world. She invented something that helped blind people to read." Qing explained, taking great joy in emphasizing every word. Then she gave the blonde a viperous smile. "I'm sorry for calling you that, Monk Boy. I overestimated your capabilities. Helen was actually smart."
The gauntlet had been thrown.
And once again, the blonde priest rose to the challenge. "Someone has to be smart, especially if your world was filled with idiots like you. It's the universal law of balance."
The Games began.
…
Sanzo had lost this time, much to Goku's dismay. It meant that the latter was a lot less richer, and he had to forfeit all privileges of a bed for the next two nights. Hakkai had commented that every fight was better than the last, and it was infinitely more entertaining watching the two of them go at it than listening to Goku and Gojyo's arguments.
"Hey Sanzo," Goku said suddenly, leaning forward, remembering the question he wanted to ask before the whole snipefest started. "About that vest of yours…"
He frowned. "Vest?"
"The Maten Sutra, you mean?" Hakkai asked pleasantly.
"Yeah!" He turned to Sanzo admiringly. "Man, that thing is strong. It took out all those demon zombies in a single shot!"
He glanced down at the sutra adorning his shoulders thoughtfully. The Maten Sutra. He had to admit, the sheer power of it surprised him sometimes. How could a harmless piece of paper be so deadly? He stared at it for a long moment, and remembered what the Three Aspects had said to him when he was charged to take this particular mission.
"The calamities now eroding our world, the sudden berserk transformation of the demons, and the resurrection of Gyuumaou…someone is behind them. Through the combination of science and demon magic, an enormous Minus Wave has washed over all of Tougenkyo. You are hereby to discover who is behind the resurrection of Gyuumaou, their purpose, and to stop them at all costs."
Gyuumaou, Sanzo thought with a start. He remembered him through the countless of tales that had been passed down from generation to generation. The great youkai was sealed away five hundred years ago by the God of War, Prince Nataku, in Hontou Castle in Tenjiku. The demon who refused to coexist with humans and is said to have devoured a multitude of them in his lust…
"Everything is in Tenjiku," An Aspect insisted, his eyes blazing with purpose. "You have to head to the West immediately, there is no time to lose."
He bowed. "As you command."
"And one other thing."
He looked up in surprise. "There is reason to fear that the person behind the resurrection of Gyuumaou is using the momento of your deceased master that you seek, the Seiten Sutra."
What? Sanzo thought in surprise. The Maten Sutra I have, with the hidden power to sunder the darkness, and my master, Koumyo Sanzo had the Seiten Sutra, which gives birth to light…and which was stolen by somebody that fateful night when I left the mountain…it's a momento of the dead. Sanzo closed his eyes, the image of his master shielding him resurfacing once more in his mind's eye, burning into his memories.
Master…
"—Sanzo! Sanzo!" Goku's eager voice cut into his thoughts, jolting him back to reality. "Sanzo, look! Check that out!" And true to his word, a large town loomed cordially in the distance. The monkey, for one, was simply ecstatic. Hell, he could almost smell the food! "Full course and all-you-can-eat meals for me!" He crowed, mouth watering at the thought of countless dishes filled to the brim with the most delicious delicacies. There were meatbuns, dumplings, ramen…ah, the wonder!
"You wanna fight more zombies or something?" Gojyo deadpanned, rolling his eyes.
"Not even that!" Goku snapped. Eating was a sacred ritual he would gladly adhere to, which meant that fighting was strictly off limits! Fighting with that kappa for the last piece of meat however, was a different story entirely…
"Stupid monkey."
Goku almost jumped on him, growling. "Look, I'm so hungry I'm about to die! Maybe I should eat you, you perverted kappa!"
An incensed Gojyo leapt back up, nearly dislodging Qing in the process. "Fine by me! Just do it, if you can!"
And yet another inane fight began between the two of them. An irate Qing had joined the fight, albeit verbally, and so it was a very merry affair at the back of the Jeep.
Sanzo scowled, wishing a painful death on all three of them. Why couldn't they just SHUT UP for a blessed three minutes?
Hakkai was grinning. "There are some things that can't be accomplished just by thinking about them."
The tone of his voice indicated that he wasn't talking about the din at the back. Honestly, Sanzo swore that the man could read minds or something. How else would he know what to say? "What would you do if it was you?"
"Hmmm…" the cheerful young man thought about it for a moment. "Good question."
The noise was beginning to really, REALLY get to him. Especially since Qing was now yelling at them. Snarling, he turned back and brandished his gun at them.
"Shut the fucking hell up!" He roared, his handsome face turning purple with rage. And for good measure, he fired off a shot, which scared the living daylights out of the trio at the back.
"Yaaaaahhhhh!"
"Argh!"
"What is your DAMAGE, Monk Boy?"
"Don't call me Monk Boy!"
…
"Seeing those with no perception of their powerlessness enslaved to their needs is more annoying than amusing, wouldn't you say?" Gyokumen said poisonously even as Kougaiji walked away, desperately trying to rein in his anger. She knew he was listening, oh she knew. He clenched his fists. If he hadn't needed her to unseal his mother…
Nii watched the prince leave, his expression revealing what he really thought about the prince. "If I may be permitted to say so, Empress Gyokumen, there aren't many people like you who would ravage even the world itself for their own ends."
Gyokumen regarded him with mild amusement. He was a fascinating man, this one. "My, is that meant as a compliment?"
"Of course it is," Nii grinned rakishly, still holding his toy rabbit.
Hmm. "Kougaiji!" she called.
He stopped just outside the doorway, but did not bother to turn back. She was not worth the effort. "I'll give you back your real mother, that rasetsu."
What? That was unexpected. He half-turned, showing that he was indeed listening to her. "I promise you that. But there is one thing you may not have," her tone hardened. "Gyuumaou is mine, and mine alone! I'll become his rightful wife. Do you understand me?"
He didn't bother to respond.
…
Kougaiji stared up at his mother, encased in stone. The waves of helplessness he had often tried to fight back were much stronger now, and just seeing his mother like this, so close and yet so far…it hurt beyond belief.
If I get serious about this, defeating Sanzo and the others shouldn't be impossible…however, when I confronted them, I became aware for the first time of something obviously different within me. He looked down at his clawed hands, remembering the beating he'd endured at Goku's hands. Am I uncertain? But that's right…I know how futile this fight is, that even if I defeat them, nothing would change. But Mother, I will save you. Even though I know that the Empress Gyokumen's ambitions will plunge this world into chaos. I promise you, I will save you!
He blinked, sensing a presence. The sound of running footsteps were louder now. It couldn't be that empress cow, because the steps were significantly lighter, and he never saw her run before, so it would only be—
"Lord Kougaiji!" A distressed Yaone appeared in the doorway, almost out of breath. "I looked all over the castle for Lady Lirin, but I can't find her!"
He frowned. "What?"
Dokugakuji stepped in with a grin. "One of the long-distance dragons are missing."
"The flying dragons? Where did it go?"
Dokugakuji simply smirked, waiting for him to get it.
Kougaiji made the connection immediately and was pained. Oh no, not this again. "Could it be…?" Of course it could be! "That idiot!"
And so he was off to the rescue once again. If only he could find that pesky sister of his.
…
The streets were more crowded here than in the previous town. Countless stores lined the wide, clean streets, and everyone was going about their daily business, paying the new arrivals no mind. Goku, for one, looked as excited as a kid in a candy shop. "Man, I haven't seen this many shops in ages!"
"Looks pretty peaceful." Gojyo muttered, looking bored. There wasn't so much as a hot babe in sight, and it was disappointing.
"Yeah." Sanzo muttered.
"I guess this town hasn't been influenced too much by the youkai." Hakkai remarked.
Goku stopped abruptly at a stall that had meatbuns on display, his eyes shining. "Wow! That looks SO good!" He turned to the group and yelled. "Sanzo, I wanna eat one!"
"No."
And the monkey lost it then and there. "Why not, you stingy old monk?" Hell hath no fury like an animal denied its treat, and so Goku went on a name-calling rampage, most of which involved him being bald and old.
"I'm not listening," Sanzo bit out. He was still sore that he'd lost the latest round of verbal judo to the wench, and was not about to be generous.
"Why not?" Hakkai, the ever-soft one asked pleasantly as Goku was still ranting. "It's just a meatbun."
"Kids these days get cocky if you pamper them."
"Wow, Your Royal Monkness," Gojyo said in amusement, putting an arm on his shoulder. "You make one heck of a parent, you know?"
His trusty Smith and Wesson was in the kappa's face the next instant. "You wanna die?"
"I need new clothes." Qing announced.
"You just bought clothes a week ago." Sanzo shot back. "That should last you for a couple of months."
"No, they won't. I threw most of them out already."
"What the hell did you do that for?" Was she even sane? What kind of person threw new clothes out?
"If you think I'm going to wear the same outfit twice, you are sadly mistaken," she snapped. "Hygienic much?"
"This is not a tour, you know!" Sanzo snapped back at her, feeling a vein throb on his forehead. The wench seriously tested his patience sometimes. Hell, make that all the time.
"I know this is not a tour! Do you think I'll be travelling with YOU if it was!"
"You—"
"Pardon me, young men, young lady." A slightly nasal voice interrupted the two of them before they could really get going. All of them turned to see a strange looking man with blue hair in the corner, sitting in a fortune-teller's booth. He was smiling, but there was something about him that was…odd. "Travelers, aren't you?"
They just stared at him.
"Let me, Chin Iisou, forecast what lies ahead on your journey."
"What kind of a name is that?" Qing muttered to herself, frowning at him suspiciously. What was with the blue hair? Hell, didn't he know that blue would never be the new black, no matter what Vogue said? It just made him look like an alien. Or maybe he really was an alien. Hmm.
"What kind of a name is Qing?" Sanzo shot back, it was not to defend the eerie guy, but more to shut her up, since flat-out telling her to do so would definitely not work.
She glared at him. And he, of course, ignored her.
Gojyo snorted derisively. This guy was definitely some kind of quack out to scam a few bucks from suckers; just look at the lack of business he was having. "We ain't interested in that."
Goku's mind was still on one thing even as he tugged on Sanzo's sleeve, mournfully eyeing the food stall. He could eat the whole damn stall, including the owner, the way he was feeling right now. "Hey Sanzo," he whined petulantly. "Just one, okay? One! I'm really, REALLY hungry!"
This was getting to be too much. Why, WHY did he have two irritants constantly wearing on his nerves all the time? "Shut up!"
Bored, Qing moved away to look for a tailor shop, and gestured for Gojyo to come along, which he complied, clearly forgetting what had happened the last time he went shopping with her. Hey, anything for a babe, especially since they seemed to be in very, very short supply here.
The fortune-teller guy was giggling. "It seems that I see death in your future." The comment hit entirely too close to home, and even Qing stopped at that.
The look in the man's eyes became strangely unreadable. "It's a frightening prospect, you know." And he laughed, amused by this fact.
"Bastard." Sanzo drawled, his eyes stony. Was he some kind of twisted pervert or something? "Who the hell are you?"
Apparently Chin was not interested in answering his question and was more content with hearing himself talk. "You're living on the brink of death, aren't you? Yes, yes, I can tell."
"I asked you who you were." Sanzo's voice turned icy, holding the promise of imminent death if he did not comply.
And again, it seemed like Chin was more interested in something else. Someone else. "Especially…you!" His finger pointed to a surprised Hakkai, and the look in the fortune-teller's eyes darkened. "Yes, you may hide it with that hypocrite's face, but you have the eyes of a sinner, that you do. Sins too deep to atone for." He paused, eyes glinting maliciously. "Yes, and you bear the scars on your belly, do you not?"
Hakkai froze, his hand instinctively going to his stomach. The fortune teller's words had hit home. But…how? How could the fortune teller possibly know what he'd done?
"Hey, you!" Goku snapped angrily, noticing the sickened look on his friend's face and jumping to his defence. Why did Hakkai look so strange all of a sudden? "You picking a fight with us or something?"
"I'm merely concerned with your well-being. Of course, I'm merely a fortune teller who's not right that often. Just look at these mahjong tiles."
"Mahjong tiles?" Goku asked quizzically. You could tell someone's fortune with mahjong tiles? It was pretty much unheard of.
"My tiles tell the future. Behold!" He held up a blank tile. "Calamity be with you all!"
Before their eyes, a single word swirled into being. Calamity.
"What are you talking about?" Goku demanded. But before he could even finish the rest of his sentence with a death threat, a deafening sound shook the entire town. Literally.
Whirling, all of them turned to see black smoke and sand rising from the horizon, and people were screaming, fleeing in terror. It looked like a scene out of a Godzilla movie.
"What was that?" Hakkai stared, wide-eyed. Another thump, and the ground itself shook violently.
The black smog cleared to reveal a very huge, very, very ugly crab-like monster. The screaming intensified as people ran towards shelter. The thing's eyes glowed, and once again Qing was reminded of Godzilla. Even the teeth was similar.
Gojyo was unimpressed. "Well. Something big popped out again. Goku, dinner time."
He stared at the thing dubiously. It was a good thing that was a crab—he liked crabs—but… "That thing looks really hard." How am I supposed to eat THAT?
"Look at it's chest." Sanzo pointed, ever the one with the keen eyes. True to form, there was a strange squiggly mark on it. "It's a Sanskrit glyph."
"A shikigami, isn't it?" Hakkai frowned.
"Who's gummy?" Qing asked, confused.
"Shikigami, wench." Sanzo responded, not bothering to aggravate her this time, though it was namely because he was still pretty much reeling at the size of the thing and wondering how the hell it could be defeated. "It's a type of magic where evil thoughts are put into an object, causing it to transform into a monster."
"How the hell can a monster be THAT big?" Gojyo asked incredulously, squinting up at it. "It ain't normal."
Hakkai turned to the fortune-teller, but the booth was empty. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. That man…
You have the eyes of a sinner…sins too deep to atone for…
Is that fortune teller the one who created that shikigami? He wondered, staring at the empty spot, as if waiting for him to appear any second.
Sanzo was gazing in the same direction as Hakkai, his gaze coldly speculating. Is he another demon sent by Kougaiji? But something feels very different about this. Unless the demon prince had decided to suddenly employ people who looked like they were better off in a loony bin, he had to say that the fortune teller was going solo.
He winced as the ground shook beneath them, much more violently than the previous time, and it was obvious that the thing was coming towards them.
"He's putting on quite a show, ain't he?" Gojyo remarked, watching the trail of destruction the monster was currently on.
"Next time, we just stick to fortune cookies!" Qing snapped, greatly distressed and not sharing in the enthusiasm of a good monster whomping. As if attacks by mutant sharks with feet weren't enough, she had to deal with a giant mutant crab? Emphasis on giant.
"Well, what now?" Sanzo asked calmly, crossing his arms.
"It's obvious, isn't it? We trash him!" Goku grinned in anticipation of a good fight.
The kappa's eyes glinted dangerously. "I don't know who it's working for, but it better not get cocky!" His shakujou was already in hand.
Goku, for one, had his Nyoyi staff ready and was prepped for a good battle. It had been awhile since he was properly revved. Those demons a couple of days ago were just warm-ups. "Well, this looks like fun! Let's get it on, Crab Giant!"
The thing charged towards them, gaining speed every second.
Qing's bow and quiver of arrows had been strapped to her back, but now said bow was in her hand, and she was busy loading it, going into Combat Girl mode. Three days of seeing demons would do that to anyone, and then there was that pesky urge to show the damn monk that she was NOT pathetic. The fact that he'd shot the demon before it attacked her—effectively saving her skin, no matter how much she hated admitting it—stung her ego like hell.
She fired off her shot, and—
Hey.
"I don't think an arrow is going to penetrate that kind of shell, Miss Qing." Hakkai murmured.
"I know. I think I was there when my arrow bounced off like a rubber ball." Even in times like these, Hakkai noted that her sarcasm was still intact. He supposed she was finally adjusting to the fact that she was going to have to fight demons.
"Dumbass." Sanzo muttered.
"At least I'm not just standing around doing nothing."
He ignored that. Goku and Gojyo were ready to pounce, but all of them froze when a strangely-garbed young girl stepped calmly into the path of the charging demon.
What the—
Before their astonished eyes, the girl leapt forward, and with a single punch sent the giant crab exploding.
…
And somewhere miles away, said girl's long-suffering half-brother knelt beside a currently exhausted flying dragon. "So this is where she left it."
Yaone, the ever-optimistic one, smiled hopefully. "Which means that Lady Lirin is somewhere nearby, right?"
"I swear," he growled, clenching his teeth. "All the trouble she's caused…"
Dokugakuji, who had been standing a little way away, walked towards them, an amused smirk on his face. He could see through Kougaiji's irritation all too clearly. "Say that if you want, but you're actually worried, right? Big brother?"
Caught, Kougaiji scowled. "Just shut up! Quit acting like my older brother, all right? What do you know?"
"I wouldn't say that. I like to think that I know a little." The other man strolled idly away, not looking at either of them. "My father had a lover, too. I even have a little brother from the other woman. One heck of an upstart little brat, but he was a cute little brother to me. Well, I couldn't even save my own suffering mother in the end…"
Kougaiji stood up slowly, realizing that his words must've hurt the other man. He was embarrassed about it, especially since it dredged up memories that seemed to be better left alone.
"Looking at you brings back memories," he continued, glancing back at his prince.
Kougaiji nodded, immediately feeling guilty. Gods when would he stop being such a jerk? "I'm sorry. I said too much."
"Hey, don't sweat it. Besides, this ain't a bid for sympathy or anything." There was a pause, and Kougaiji was silent. Dokugakuji smiled and turned back to him. "It's what I decided for myself."
"Decided?"
"Ever since I ended up at the castle, and you made me one of your retainers without asking a single question, I decided that I would put my life in your hands."
Kougaiji listened, moved by his unwavering loyalty. "Dokugakuji…"
"Listen, Kougaiji. You live the life you want to. No matter what path you travel, Yaone and I, we're with you. You're our one and only master."
With a faint smile, the prince nodded.
…
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