: Perfect World :
Gensomaden Saiyuki
Disclaimer: I don't own Gensomaden Saiyuki, which rightfully belongs to Minekura Kazuya.
Rating: PG
Pairings: none
Warnings: AU-ish, angst, language, violence
Notes: All right. Bit of a big announcement, due to recent happenings. Perfect World is going to be, indefinitely, put on hold at random times. I will update a chapter when and if I can, but as of late schoolwork, college applications, and scholarships have been demanding more of me. I really hate to do this, but getting to the college I want to go to far outweighs my work here. So for now, my updates will be far more sporadic.
I truly am sorry.
Constructive criticism and feedback is appreciated.
Chapter Twenty-Five
He had just been walking back to the campsite when a loud pop seemed to peal through the air. Starting, Sanzo immediately whirled, half expecting someone to be using them for target practice. A quick glance disproved that theory, but not before common sense knocked him in the head and reminded him that bullets didn't pop. They may crack, and they definitely banged or exploded. But they still didn't pop.
A loud, rude snort caused his gaze to swivel on a certain redhead, the crimson hair highlighted with orange hues due to the firelight. "What's got you so jumpy, monk?" the man sneered.
Rather than answer the question, Sanzo retorted, "Shut up, die, or find a creative way to do both before I choose for you." He kicked a twig out of his way, watching it bounce into the fire. First sweeping his hand across the rock to get rid of any dirt, Sanzo took a seat. To his credit, Gojyo didn't tease the blonde further. This was fortunate for him, because Sanzo was in a particularly bad mood that night and would have planted a bullet between Gojyo's eyes before Gojyo would have been able to utter another full word.
A great deal of his tension actually had to do with the lack of assassination attempts as of late. Normally he would have said the lack of fighting was a good thing, but right now it was just the opposite. The attacks were too few and far between the further they traveled west, just like the towns. It was as though most of the crazed demons lay to the east. Sanzo knew that was wrong; it couldn't have been right. Even though Kougaiji - or whoever he worked for - constantly sent out men, they couldn't have possibly sent most of their forces out so early into their journey.
No. Something was definitely wrong.
"Damn." Gojyo's voice made Sanzo's thoughts scatter, and he inwardly cursed the half-breed even as he turned his attention outward to hear what was wrong. Gojyo's nose was wrinkled in an expression of annoyance. "Firewood's not gonna last us all night."
"And whose fault is that?" Sanzo asked flatly.
His question earned him a glare from Gojyo. "How about you get off your lazy ass and do something for once, instead of shoving everything on Hakkai and me," Gojyo growled.
Returning the look, Sanzo said, "I drive."
Throwing his hands in the air, Gojyo said with clear sarcasm, "Well, hell, how could I forget that? Yes, you keep your foot on the pedal all day, sittin' your happy ass in the driver's seat. Of course. My apologies, Oh Great Leader. I didn't realize staring at the road could be so stressful on a man!"
"Don't you even start, freeloader," Sanzo shot back with equal venom. "At least I'm watching out for things on the road."
As his and Gojyo's bickering swiftly began to escalate into rougher insults, Sanzo noted from the corner of his eye that Hakkai wasn't turned toward him. The man never turned his face toward them; rather, he turned an ear if he heard something, as that would help him locate whatever it was easier. However, while Hakkai's lips were curved in obvious patient amusement, his head was cocked to Sanzo's right.
"I believe," the brunette said in a voice loud enough to falter their argument. "We have company."
Sanzo looked to his right.
Even in the firelight their guest was difficult to see; his clothes were dark, helping him blend into the night surrounding them on all sides. However, the fire was enough to show a pair of golden eyes glinting at them. The boy's features were unusually set. Determination thinned his lips.
His bad day - or night, as was the case now - had just taken a drastic turn for the worse. Sanzo could feel it even without knowing why the boy was there. Whatever his reasons, it was only going to cause him trouble.
"You again?" Gojyo was saying at the same time Sanzo demanded, "What do you want?"
Goku didn't look at either Gojyo or Hakkai, his gaze set determinedly on Sanzo. While he spoke firmly, Sanzo didn't miss the slight waver that told him the boy was uneasy saying what he had to say. "We're not gonna ask anymore. Just this one last time, but then we won't take no for an answer."
His appearance was different, Sanzo realized suddenly. He had thought something had been off, but now he saw what it was. Bandages tightly bound Goku's right forearm, and through the mesh of the boy's shirt Sanzo could see more bandages peeking out just below his ribs. Upon closer inspection thin, dark red lines were visible around the boy's neck. He had been in a fight, though Sanzo couldn't tell when. If they had been under better lighting he would have been able to have a more accurate estimate, but right then he thought that the neck wounds may have been at least two weeks old. If that was the case, Goku had been through something brutal, had somehow survived, and was at great risk even trying to propose a fight.
Eyes narrowing to slits, Sanzo said, "If it's the scriptures, too bad. I still refuse."
Quietly, with a clear threat lurking beneath his tone, Goku said, "You'll wish you'd given it to us, y'know. We don't lose."
"You lost last time," Sanzo pointed out. There was both smug satisfaction and a twinge of guilt at the hurt that flickered in the boy's eyes. Despite his cold tone, Sanzo probed the boy with his gaze. He had to know if this was final, if this was Goku's last answer. Once the boy set out on this path tonight, Sanzo wasn't going to let him become a burden, no matter what his orders were.
Goku kept his gaze level, the hurt fading as hardness replaced it. "I won't lose again, Konzen."
That cinched it. The use of the other name, the name that wasn't his but they insisted upon using it anyway, told Sanzo all he needed to know. Goku was staying true to his side.
The rest of his group was nowhere in sight. Then again, sight wasn't exactly the best sense to rely on in this sort of darkness. Sanzo drew his gun from his robes. His movement broke the stillness of his companions, Gojyo taking a step forward as he summoned his shakujyo. A faint light pulsed behind Sanzo, only the edges of the soft glow in Sanzo's field of vision. Hakkai had summoned his own "weapon."
It was three on one. The last time the odds had been split in this fashion, Goku's companions had been forced to retreat. It hadn't been a win or loss on either side, but now, to Sanzo, it felt like a loss. He wouldn't lose again.
Goku had said the same thing.
Just as the boy extended his hand Sanzo made the first move. He swung his gun, taking quick and accurate aim before he pulled the trigger. The bullet should have hit its mark, but to Sanzo's amazement Goku had summoned his staff without a sound, twirling it between his fingers. Deflected, the bullet spun out of sight.
The scrape of dirt behind him told Sanzo that Hakkai was moving. Stepping aside so as to be cautious, Sanzo watched as two compact balls of chi whizzed past him. They were separated so that if Goku moved to either side he was at just as much risk as he was staying still. Of course, the boy leapt into the air, rising a good dozen feet into the air.
That was when Gojyo moved, swinging his weapon in a wide arc that sent the crescent blade hurtling toward Goku. The boy shouted something before swinging his staff hard enough to turn him sideways in mid-air. The weapon seemed to have split into three loose but contact parts. The blade of the shakujyo glinted before hitting the ground, points dug into the earth first. Goku was landing.
Sanzo took aim, followed the boy's descent as he cocked the gun, and shot. Goku's body had twisted at an angle, so that there was little chance of him successfully avoiding Sanzo's shot. He had aimed for the side slanted toward him, so even if Goku pivoted on either foot he would have been hit. Now it all depended on which way he went, and the direction he moved in would determine how hard the slug would hit.
He hadn't counted on Goku ducking to avoid the blow. Sanzo had targeted the boy's chest, so that one pivot would cause a lung to puncture, and another the heart. Faster than Sanzo's human eyes could comprehend, Goku crouched down, the bullet whistling just over his head. It was then Sanzo detected the cocky smirk on the boy's lips.
He was stronger than before. Stronger, faster, possibly even smarter. Their adversary wasted no time in bragging this time around, instead just leaping forward. His staff whole again, (When had that happened? It irked Sanzo to know he had somehow missed that) Goku charged Gojyo, rising to his feet as he ran. There was a loud cry, a panicked yelp, and then the sharp clang of weapon against weapon. Despite the clear differences in height, Goku was bearing down on Gojyo and the half-breed was clearly struggling just to keep the weapon from coming down completely and bashing his face in.
Gojyo seemed to think it was time to switch tactics. Silver blurred as he gave a sudden hard shove against Goku, swinging the wide blade down at the boy's legs. Goku wisely jumped up; if he hadn't, Gojyo would have sliced his legs clean off from the knees down. As he was in the air Hakkai was forming another round of chi between his palms. Sanzo could barely discern a look of utter concentration on the man's face before the power exploded.
This time Goku was unable to avoid it. He was hit hard and went flying over Gojyo's head, slamming into the ground with a meaty thud. Knowing it was dirty to hit an enemy while he was down, Sanzo still made sure his revolver was loaded before pointing the muzzle at the back of the boy's head. Goku was pushing himself to his knees. Sanzo still had a good shot. He pulled the trigger.
Goku's head snapped forward. A sharp cry sounded from him, but amazingly he didn't hit the dirt again. Instead, he quickly scrambled to his feet, rubbing the back of his head as a look of wonder crossed his face.
Now Sanzo was truly baffled. He had been positive Goku had been the only member of Homura's team who wasn't a god. How had his attack been deflected?
"Holy shit," Gojyo said. A second later Sanzo realized that Gojyo hadn't cursed because Goku was standing, but because he knew why the boy hadn't fallen.
Then Sanzo blinked. He stared at the boy's limiter. Goku was tracing his fingers over the broad front, understanding glimmering through his childish features.
Sanzo couldn't believe the dumb luck he'd had. Apparently, Goku's limiter was a full circle; a diadem, a ringlet. Sanzo's slug had hit the back ring, and Goku's limiter was somehow strong enough to withstand such an attack. That meant it wasn't an ordinary, man-made limiter, which led to the thought that the limiter must have been specially made.
And that meant that whatever power the boy contained was so strong, so raw, so incredibly amazing that the average limiter couldn't hold it back. He wasn't just a threat now- he was downright dangerous.
Sanzo knew he had to think quickly. He wracked his brain for ideas, thoughts passing by in mere milliseconds. The kid was strong, had grown incredibly powerful since the last time they had seen him. Normally a situation like this called for Sanzo to use the Maten Scriptures; no matter how powerful an opponent, those scriptures could bind someone in place for as long as they held. The downside was that Sanzo knew his opponent wanted the scripture.
No, he suddenly thought, his eyes widening. Opponents. Plural.
Now he understood. He knew why Goku had come alone, seemingly on an act of free will. The rest of his teammates had left this job to him and were waiting in the shadows for any opportunity to come out and steal the Maten scripture.
Using it was no longer an option at all. They would simply have to best the boy somehow- and on the rare occasion their usual strategies didn't work, there was only one thing left to try.
Teamwork.
He briefly considered voicing this idea to his teammates, but they seemed to realize it as well. Three pairs of eyes exchanged glances before turning their attention toward the cocky brunette before them. An infuriatingly smug smirk touched Goku's lips as he effortlessly twirled his staff, and then gripped it in both hands again.
Sanzo intended to wipe that smirk off his face. From the looks of his companions, they seemed intent on doing the same thing. He raised his gun, narrowing an eye as he pulled the trigger. As expected, Goku dodged it, this time moving to the left. Knowing he had one shot left before he would have to reload, Sanzo shot again at Goku's feet. The boy tucked himself into a quick roll, giving Sanzo the time he needed to eject the empty cartridges. He glanced up constantly as he inserted new bullets, knowing he would have to be on his toes.
Fortunately, Goku didn't seem to be after him at the moment. Once he was on his feet again he turned to Gojyo, emitting a loud cry as he lunged forward.
Unlike Sanzo, he didn't notice Hakkai off to the side, eyes closed and eyebrows furrowed in intense concentration. There was a small flicker of light, and then Goku slammed into an invisible wall, compliments of his blind opponent. Sanzo was quietly impressed; Hakkai hadn't raised his hands. It seemed his manipulation of chi was growing far more impressive by the day.
Goku staggered back, blood trickling from his nose. Sanzo had just cocked the gun again when Gojyo made his move. The crescent of the shakujyo flew out again, this time not aiming to kill. The chains wound around the boy's neck and Gojyo pulled them taut. Goku toppled forward, hitting the ground with a shriek of pain.
Sanzo was amazed that their opponent's neck hadn't snapped with the force of Gojyo's tug. The redhead seemed equally surprised but he said nothing about it, keeping the chains pulled tight. Goku choked, his hands flying up to his throat and clawing angrily at the constricting force.
This battle had been won. Sanzo knew it even though Goku wasn't dead yet- because soon the boy would be. He stepped forward, planting a foot on the writhing brunette's chest and pushing down with all his weight. Goku made a choked cry, golden eyes burning with fury as they looked up at Sanzo. The depth of his hatred made Sanzo go cold, and for a moment he faltered.
Somehow being on the receiving end of Goku's anger seemed... wrong. It made Sanzo's hand shake for a moment, and abruptly the voice within his head screamed to life. He staggered back, dropping the Smith Wesson as he made a strangled gasp. Someone called his name- perhaps two people? Six? It was suddenly hard to tell. The only voice he could clearly discern was the one within his mind.
The screaming suddenly died, and when Sanzo lifted his head he saw that Goku had somehow managed to get loose. He cursed Gojyo, realizing that the man must have let his grip go lax when he had seen Sanzo stumble.
Suddenly the outcome was very uncertain. Sanzo moved, but Goku was quicker. Even as he dodged another of Hakkai's shots the boy managed to make it to Sanzo's weapon first. He skidded in the dirt, fingers curling around the weapon. Sanzo quickly fell back, knowing that the worst thing he could do was be close to Goku when the boy had his gun. A growl slipped from his throat.
The boy didn't cock the gun; he didn't seem to know how to use it. Even so, Sanzo didn't want to be near him in case he accidentally found out how. He backed up even further, and Hakkai was moving forward. If anything could block a stray bullet, it would be Hakkai's shield.
Even at his distance Sanzo could see Goku's narrowed eyes. The boy stared at them for a long moment, all four of them locked in a stalemate. The air grew thick and heavy, pressing down on their shoulders and making it harder for Sanzo to breathe.
With a noise of disgust, Goku flung the Smith Wesson aside. Unlike a normal person tossing it, Goku's force made the gun spin out several yards. There was a sharp crack, and Sanzo knew the gun had hit a tree.
Suddenly Sanzo knew this was what it felt like to be defenseless. He still didn't dare to use the sutras, but he was no match for Goku in hand-to-hand combat. Gojyo and Hakkai might be able to handle the boy, but Sanzo had the nauseating feeling that without Sanzo's bullets Goku was no longer going to be as cautious- and thus would be able to defeat the other two far easier, since now they would be distracted trying to keep Goku from the scriptures.
Crouching down, never taking his eyes off the three, Goku retrieved his weapon. Once he had it he ran forward, his yell louder and full of more animalistic triumph than before. He, too, had sensed his victory. Hakkai seemed to be forming a shield again, but this time Goku swung with the staff, and the action propelled him over the shield rather than slam him into it. He landed behind Gojyo, and the side of his staff crashed into the half-breed's ribs just as Gojyo was turning to block him. The redhead went crashing into Hakkai, and they both hit the ground. A wretched gasp of pain tore itself from Hakkai, and from the angle he was standing Sanzo could see the trickle of blood dripping from the blind man's mouth.
Sanzo was wrong. They had lost.
Goku strode up to him, his staff resting on his shoulder. He stopped about three feet from the man, his feet planted firmly in the ground.
"How about now?" Goku asked.
Sanzo scowled, folding his arms over his chest. "No."
Lowering his gaze briefly, Goku said quietly, "I really don't wanna kill you."
"You will not get the Maten scripture any other way."
Sanzo's head snapped to the side; he hadn't said that, and the voice that had interrupted them was annoyingly familiar. A new figure materialized from the shadows, this one far more visible by the brightly glowing sword resting on his shoulder. Only the golden eye was visible in the darkness, but Sanzo knew who he was.
"Homura..."
The man didn't even glance at Goku, his attention fully on Sanzo. "I have to admit, I almost thought you and your friends would defeat him."
Sanzo noted Goku's frown, but didn't comment. Instead he said firmly, "No matter how many times you ask, I won't change my mind."
Homura's lips curved. "Of course. That's what I like about you, Konzen." Before Sanzo could retort the ebon-haired god's eyes slid to the side. "It will be your move, Son Goku."
He was trapped. Sanzo heard Gojyo and Hakkai trying to straighten themselves out from his right, but from the way they had crashed into each other he doubted either would be of much use as far as fighting went. All he could do was back up, his heart thudding painfully against his ribs.
Goku matched his retreat step for step, moving a bit quicker so Sanzo would be unable to get too far away from him. His options were down to nothing; the Smith Wesson was too far away for Sanzo to even hope trying to go for it. No doubt their other two companions were in the woods anyway, ready to step out should Sanzo even take a single step toward them.
He had no other choice. Sanzo finally stopped, his eyes hardening as he drew one hand up. He didn't dare close his eyes, not with Goku's superhuman speed. Clearing his mind, Sanzo began to silently chant.
The brunette dashed forward, grunting as he swung at Sanzo's feet. Barely able to dodge, the priest stumbled back, still thinking of nothing but the holy chant.
Soku setsu shu watsu gya tei gya tei ha ra gya tei ha ra so gya tei-
His thoughts were cut off. Goku had gotten too close, and thus Sanzo couldn't avoid the next blow. Something solid crashed into his shins, sending Sanzo sprawling to the ground with a cry of pain. He rolled over on his back, and Goku's fist embedded itself into the ground. The boy grimaced, as though he had disturbed an old wound, and Sanzo's gaze was drawn to the bandages.
The brief distraction cost him. Goku struck him sharply on the side of the head, and for a moment Sanzo only knew pain, then darkness.
When Sanzo came to he knew it had only been a few seconds later. Goku had rolled him over on his side and was just then removing the Maten scripture from the priest's shoulders. Panic seized Sanzo and he let loose and outraged cry, swinging without thinking.
Taken aback, Goku dropped the scriptures. They fluttered to the dirt and Sanzo made to grab at them. Before he could a shoe came down on his arm, pinning it to the ground. A bone snapped, and Sanzo couldn't hold back even a small scream.
"Thanks, Homura," he dimly heard Goku say. Glaring up with murderous intent, Sanzo was met with an even, strangely solemn stare.
Homura lifted his eyes, looking over Sanzo. The blonde had a feeling he was speaking to Gojyo and Hakkai. "If you wish to retrieve the scriptures, come to Konran Tower. I realize it's quite out of your way, but whether you come or not is up to you." The foot was raised from Sanzo's arm. Homura and Goku stepped back, Goku clinging to the Maten scriptures. For some reason he wouldn't look at Sanzo, almost as though the boy could feel Sanzo's hatred boiling. He wanted to kill Goku.
No.
He would kill him. Sanzo swore it just as Homura and Goku disappeared from sight. He began to sit up, but the place where his head had been struck throbbed with sharp pain. He fell back, and this time he didn't wake up for a good few hours.
