:: Perfect World ::

Gensomaden Saiyuki

Disclaimer: I don't own Gensomaden Saiyuki, which rightfully belongs to Minekura Kazuya.

Rating: PG

Pairings: hinted Kougaiji/Yaone

Warnings: AU-ish, angst, language

Notes: Not much to say this time. Still lots of love for those who continue to review. And on an extremely random note, for people who remember what old children's movies were like -- and liked them -- I was reminded of one I absolutely adored as a kid. It's called Little Nemo, and I'll warn you right off that it's not cutesy and funny like Finding Nemo. No, Little Nemo was a lot more disturbing from the viewpoint of a child. Fantastic oldie, in my opinion.

Anyway. Constructive criticism and feedback is appreciated, as always.


Chapter Eleven

There should have been a lot of things on his mind right then. One should have been that he was lost and he really needed to find his way back to his companions. Another was that Zenon was most definitely going to kill him for running off like that. Not to mention, Shien was going to punish him by making their next training session that much more brutal. He even should have been worried about the guilt trip Homura was going to put him through.

Instead, Goku was simply excited at the prospect of a good fight. He had been disappointed at first; girls never struck him as good fighters before, and the girl challenging him -- Ririn? Lilin? -- was particularly small. She seemed too young to be a good fighter.

Well, first impressions weren't always right. Her eagerness for a fight made up for her lack of size, and right now he was impressed with her speed.

"Little Lirin Kick!" she cried, leaping up into the air. She came down quickly, her foot ready to connect with his face. Goku yelped, quickly scrambling to the side and narrowly missing the blow.

She's incredibly fast, he thought, amazed as he spent the first few minutes of the fight simply dodging. Really fast! This might be fun after all!

He quickly grew bored of defensive maneuvers. Goku finally went on the offensive when he landed on a cat-like crouch. He gave a loud yell, leaping at the girl rather than dodging, swinging his staff out in attempt to catch her. Surprise was naked on her face; she was hit in the stomach and went toppling back.

"Lady Lirin!" Goku glanced up; the cry had come from the older demon woman Lirin had been with. He briefly wondered if she was going to step in to help.

"Oww," Lirin moaned at his feet. Goku stepped back, blinking in confusion. Was she really that weak, after that impressive speed? "Oww, it hurts! Oh, I think you broke something!" she whined.

Goku looked up at the woman again. She was hesitating in mid-step, watching the girl clutch her stomach on the floor. The hesitation drew out too long, until it finally clicked in Goku's head.

"You're not really hurt," he accused. "You're faking it!"

Lirin looked up, her green eyes wide as she blinked in surprised. She then pouted, uncurling from the ball she was in and crossing her arms. "Aw, no fair! How could you tell?"

"I'm not that stupid," he said, annoyed.

She sulked a few moments longer then promptly brightened. "Oh well! Let's do it! Kyaah!" she cried, lunging at him again. She swung her fist and Goku had to duck again, unable to move fast enough to block it. The blow grazed his nose, stinging it.

"Aw, geez," he muttered. She swung her leg out in a high kick, aiming for his face. He brought Nyoibou up quickly, grunting as her shin impacted with it. He staggered back a little before swinging it out under her other leg. Miraculously, she managed to perform a backward summersault to miss it.

Lirin stood up, hands on her hips as she looked at him proudly. She stuck out her tongue. "Nyeh!"

Goku twitched.

"Nobody's ever escaped Lirin's wrath alive," she proclaimed, referring herself in the third person again. It was fairly annoying, especially since it didn't appear to be a consistent habit. "And neither will you! Hiiyah"

As Goku was forced into another dance of kicks, punched, and random shouts, only one thought consistently crossed his mind.

Damn it, Homura, you better be having more fun than I am...

------

The longer the fight went on the more anxious she grew. Yaone knew perfectly well Lirin was capable of taking care of herself, that she had instigated the fight in the first place, but she had been given orders. She should have had Lirin down in the basement by now. There was a room down there meant for cases like this; Kougaiji had sought it out just in case something serious arose and he wanted his sister out of harm's way.

Yaone didn't want to let her lord down, not after all he'd done for her. She had a debt to repay, one that would take a few hundred lifetimes to fulfill. One lifetime wouldn't even make a dent in it.

She kept a wary eye on the boy in particular. Somehow he didn't seem dangerous but she couldn't afford to take any chances. However, it was the lack of danger that made her hesitant to kill him right away.

The boy seemed too preoccupied to notice idle movements from her. She reached behind her back, pulling up the hem of her jacket. She had a few potions clipped to the belt beneath her coat, as well as some tucked into hidden pockets. Her bombs were normally clipped in inconspicuous little pouches to her belt, but she didn't want to risk using those and losing sight of Lirin.

She hesitated. Then again... It would be riskier to use the sleeping powder and have Lirin fall asleep. It would make their escape a lot harder. She was a small girl but not exactly light; a lot of weight was gaining in her bust and muscles.

She abandoned the sleeping powder in favor for a couple small bombs. She waited until she had the opportune moment before acting.

Lirin and the boy finally came to a pause, both backing up for some breathing distance. That was her opening.

"My lady, stand back," she warned, flicking her wrist as she swung her arm widely. Lirin obeyed out of instinct; the boy merely looked surprised, though he did have the sense to jump back before the bombs went off. There was a muffled cry from the boy as smoke rose from the bombs' explosions.

"Aww, Yaone," Lirin whined.

"No time, my lady," Yaone said. It felt wrong to grab Lirin's arm and drag her off, but she was far more concerned about getting her to safety than she was risking Lord Kougaiji's anger. Honestly, she wasn't entirely sure if he would be angry...

If the dust hadn't cleared just then she most likely would have been hit. Yaone stumbled back with a cry, knocking into Lirin at the same time. The girl yelped and fell though Yaone managed to keep her balance.

To her horror and dismay she found herself looking at a god. He was definitely human-looking; his clothes were fine and rather celestial in appearance. His hair was pulled back in the fashion most gods wore, yellow streamers of cloth falling from the knot in his hair down his back. Even with his eyes closed Yaone had the creepy feeling he was staring at her; scrutinizing; criticizing. He straightened up, drawing his hands back. Each one held a whip. Oddly enough, instead of leather, the long cords at the end seemed to be made out of light.

The dust completely cleared, revealing that the god wasn't alone. Just behind him was a taller man (likely a god, though she couldn't see any signs of a chakra) who reminded Yaone vaguely of their military forces. His clothes had a similar ring to it, though his gloves said something about a personal touch. Most remarkable about him was the black patch over his right eye.

Oh no, she thought, doing her best not to cringe and to put on a brave front. A hundred "if onlys" passed through her mind in the few seconds it took her to realize who her new opponents were. If only she had taken Lady Lirin downstairs immediately, if only she hadn't let Lirin start the fight, if only she had stopped it earlier, if only...

"You goddamn brat!"

The explosion made her start. The second god had barely given her or Lirin a second glance. He stormed over to the boy, grabbing him by his long hair as he tried to run. "I'm gonna damn well kill you for running off like that!"

"Agh! Leggo, that hurts!" the boy protested, yelping as the god only gave his hair a firm yank. "Damn it, Zenon!"

Yaone immediately pounced on the name, tucking it aside for later information. Lord Kougaiji would want to know anything he could find out about the intruders later on. Right then she could only pray that he was unharmed-- or at the very least, alive.

"And don't think you've made your training sessions any easier by pulling that stunt," the first god said quietly. Yaone had the feeling that was how he normally spoke: gently, carefully pronouncing each word with a dangerous undertone that canceled the gentleness in his voice. He clearly wasn't someone to mess with. She noticed the boy Zenon had by the hair had paled at his subtle threat.

Unfortunately, Lirin didn't seem to notice that.

"So you're the baddies that broke into our home," she exclaimed. Yaone looked over her shoulder, startled and dismayed to find the girl up and back in her fighting stance. "Don't think you'll get away!"

"My lady," she whispered urgently, trying to make her understand the seriousness of their situation.

"Hey, we didn't get to finish our fight!" the boy complained, finally wrestling his hair free.

"Aw, you got boring," Lirin dismissed him, seeming more eager to challenge their new prey.

"What'd you say?! Stop laughing, Zenon!"

The situation was only getting worse and worse. Yaone had to think fast again. The first tactic would have worked if the gods hadn't appeared. She couldn't risk trying it again since it was likely the other two knew what had happened. They were only getting themselves into deeper trouble, and the god holding the whips wasn't regarding Lirin as little threat.

"I must warn you," he said, his face turned to the little princess. "We are from the heavenly army. There we regard all opponents alike. We do not exclude women or children, and especially not demons."

Lirin smirked with childish confidence. "Bring it on any way you want!"

Yaone slipped a hand discreetly behind her back, feigning more distress than she really felt. It would be far better to use the sleeping powder this time, whether it meant she would have to carry Lirin or not. It was a betterthan going head-to-head with these men.

She had just removed the vial from a hidden pocket when a smooth, amused voice sounded from just behind her. "My, what a clever woman you three are up against."

Yaone gasped involuntarily, the vial slipping from her fingers. It bounced on the floor but didn't break. The glass was a special kind, mixed with a few carefully chosen elements to give it a plastic-like quality. Accidents could happen, after all, and she was suddenly immensely grateful for this foresight even as she whirled to face the voice.

The man behind her was clearly an accomplice. The first thing giving him away was the chakra on his forehead. The second should have been easier to notice, but his hand was partially hidden beneath the cape he wore.

"You must be Prince Kougaiji's rumored apothecary," the man said, seeming amused by her expression.

He has the Seiten scriptures, Yaone thought, worry stitching her eyebrows. Please let Lord Kougaiji and Dokugakuji be all right...

At the appearance of this man the gods with the whips thankfully diverted his attention from Lirin. "I see you succeeded, Homura." he said.

"Wow, that fast?" the boy with them asked, sounding both impressed and disappointed.

Homura simply nodded, stepping around Yaone to join his companions. Without looking back at the girls he said, "Let's go."

"What?" Lirin cried, sounding even more disappointed than the boy had. "But we were just getting started!"

From the expression on the boy's face he seemed to agree, but instead of complaining he merely sighed and turned to follow Homura. Zenon rolled his eyes but followed as well. The final god never even gave them a backward glance.

Yaone watched their retreating backs briefly, stunned at the strange turn of events. She had to shake her head to regain her bearings and focus on her mission. She touched Lirin in the shoulder, smiling weakly at the girl's pout. "Let's continue on, my lady."

"Okay," Lirin mumbled, shooting their adversaries a wistful glance. It like a child sulking after leaving a candy shop without getting a single treat.

The alarms had ceased blaring, which meant the crisis within the castle was over for the moment. Even so Yaone continued leading the girl down to the basement, knowing that was where Kougaiji would look for them eventually.

The theft of the Seiten scripture was going to bring the entire revival process to a screeching halt. The thought made Yaone cringe. Right now she could only wait, but it didn't stop her from worrying, wondering what would happen next.

------

Few things hurt worse than utter defeat. Realizing that the battle had been lost before it had even begun ripped the wound open wider, only agitated him further.

For once Kougaiji wasn't in his mother's sanctuary. He couldn't go there. Not after being beaten so easily. Not after such a humiliating defeat on top of that. He couldn't face the image of his mother's face after that, not without feeling anything but shame.

He was in his room, a place he rarely found himself in when he wasn't sleeping or dressing. It was the same place it had been before he had been sealed away, at least in appearances. Time had likely made many things in the room dusty and deteriorated; someone had taken meticulous care to clean everything, to replace what couldn't be repaired. Perhaps it was a form of mockery from Gyokumen Koushu. Perhaps she was telling him without words, "Do as I say and everything will be as it used to be, before this entire castle was subjugated."

Then again, she had said that aloud plenty of times before. Always promising his mother's return, always sneering down at him, always laughing inwardly -- even aloud at times -- as she tauntingly pulled the strings binding him. He was her living marionette, striving to rebel but only capable of obeying.

Summoning Engokuki had seemed like a sure thing. It was one of his stronger summons and definitely his most faithful. Kougaiji rarely had to use it, and then only when it was absolutely necessary. Engokuki had enough power to level towns, cities, perhaps even an entire continent.

But Homura, with his confidence and godly abilities, had cut through Engokuki's flames with a mere swing of his sword. He had power enough to split fire with sword pressure-- not the sword itself, but the mere pressure of it when swung. Power like that was unbelievable. Kougaiji had forgotten what it was like to witness that much power, ever since seeing his father defeated by the War Prince Nataku over five centuries ago...

It really pissed him off.

Homura wouldn't even let him suffer the dignity of death (though in retrospection Kougaiji found himself grateful). At the moment it had angered him so much, being brushed aside right after that attack. Homura had given an eloquent farewell speech, but Kougaiji had hardly listened. He had been too busy clenching his fists, trembling from fury.

Attacking Homura had been both desperate and suicidal. There was no doubt the man could have cut him down easily. Instead he had blocked Kougaiji's leap, smirking as he punched him square in the gut. Kougaiji had fallen back, gasping for breath, his vision swarming with black spots. He was amazed he hadn't passed out.

He couldn't face anyone after such a defeat. After Homura and his party's retreat Kougaiji had given Dokugakuji orders to find Yaone and Lirin, to tell them it was all right to come out. Immediately after that he had gone straight to his room, turning his head away from any questioning eyes.

Even the inquiring stone-frozen eyes of his own mother. It made him sick to think he had failed her so horribly.

Thinking about it made anger swell again. He considered taking it out on the wall, but a sideways glance at the cracked stone and plaster told him it would do more harm than good. Besides, his knuckles already hurt from previous abuse only minutes earlier.

A hesitant knock sounded on his bedroom door. It was the sound he heard occasionally, when he was in his room and one of Gyokumen's lackeys came to tell him she wanted to see him. Right now he wasn't in the mood. "Go away," he snapped.

There was a pause, a soft, "Forgive me, my lord," and then the sound of someone walking away.

Kougaiji inwardly cursed himself, quickly getting up to open the door. The sound of it alerted the demon in the hallway; he narrowed his eyes a bit. "You ought to knock a bit harder," he said. "I thought I've told you that before."

Yaone made a quick, apologetic bow. "Forgive me, Lord Kougaiji," she repeated.

He shook his head, stepping back into his room. It was a silent invitation for her to come in; she recognized it and moved to obey. Kougaiji supposed he should have been worried about her being there, that it would only raise Gyokumen Koushu's suspicions about their relationship -- the last thing he needed from her right now -- but, like Dokugakuji and Lirin, Yaone merely had certain privileges most other subjects in the castle didn't.

However, that didn't mean he should let her stay long. That would definitely guarantee them both trouble.

In her hands was a small medical kit. "Dokugakuji asked me to check on you," she said sincerely. "He said that I mustn't take no for an answer."

Kougaiji scoffed; it was just like Dokugakuji. Still, the sentiment touched him. "All right," he said reluctantly. There wasn't anything seriously wrong with him, and Dokugakuji most likely knew that, and had likely told Yaone so. Therefore, he must have had another reason for sending her.

At first things were silent. She looked at his scraped and bruised knuckles, saying only that she was going to put ointment on them and leave the injuries unwrapped. They weren't serious enough for that, and she was going to leave him the ointment to use until his skin didn't feel so raw. It didn't have a pleasant odor, but almost the instant it touched his skin the stinging subsided to numbness. That was definitely preferable to a constant ache in his hand.

Kougaiji said nothing as she spoke, though he did nod his thanks when she set the ointment aside. She did a quick check-up right there, still silent through her meticulous work. Nothing else seemed to warrant her immediate attention. She warned him it would be best to rest as long as Gyokumen would allow him to, giving time for any internal soreness to ease. All he had as visible marks from his fight with Homura was a purplish bruise just beneath his ribcage.

He sat on his bed throughout the entire process, wondering what other reasons had driven her to see him. Even if Dokugakuji had asked she would have wondered why he didn't see Kougaiji himself.

When she was finished Yaone stepped back. She shut the small medical kit. It clicked as makeshift locks slipped into place. The nervousness radiating from her was starting to make him antsy. Not to mention uncomfortable.

Just when he was going to give her his awkward thanks she spoke. "We don't think any less of you, my lord."

Kougaiji blinked. She had succeeded in confusing him. "What?"

She didn't raise her eyes, seeming far more interested in her shoes. "Dokugakuji and I, even Lady Lirin, we don't think any less of you because of your defeat."

Kougaiji tensed. He really didn't want to talk about it. "Yaone--"

"Please, my lord," she said, her voice trembling as she struggled to compose herself. Kougaiji reluctantly fell silent again; he suddenly wanted her out, was suddenly uncomfortable in her presence as he hadn't been before.

In fact it was very similar to his humiliation, unable to face his mother.

"I feel I can speak for them when I say... when I say that we follow you because we admire and respect you," she finally said. "I follow you because you saved my life and I will do anything to repay the debt... and because you are the only person I can follow. I think much of you, my lord, and one defeat makes me think no less of you whatsoever."

Her cheeks had colored a little as she made her short speech. Kougaiji found himself unable to reply, too startled by her words to think of an immediate reply, vocal or physical. He didn't miss that halfway through her explanation she had suddenly changed from "we" to "I."

The silence was stretching on too long, he realized. Her eyes had lifted a bit, but she still couldn't seem to look any higher than the floor. He recognized the need to say something before she began to get scared.

"Thank you," he said. It felt too inadequate, but the tension drained from her. She finally looked him in the eye, her smile tinged with relief.

"Good night, Lord Kougaiji."

"Good night."

Once she was gone he sighed heavily, feeling drained without anger to keep him alert. Yaone's words had made some of the sting of utter defeat fade, though it wasn't gone completely. He still wanted-- no, needed to make Homura pay for both defeating him and interrupting the progress of Gyuumaoh's resurrection. The halt of his father's revival was the halt of his mother's freedom.

With conflicting emotions warring in his mind, Kougaiji eventually fell into a restless sleep.