: Perfect World :

Gensomaden Saiyuki

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

Rating: PG-13

Pairings: suggested Kougaiji/Yaone

Warnings: AU-ish, angst, language, sexual innuendo

Notes: Sorry for the long wait. Updates will continue to be sporadic. Constructive criticism and feedback is appreciated.

Chapter Twenty-Six

"Reporting in. Scanned parameters still clear."

The voice coming through the earpiece was high but firm, the tone set as that of a soldier on a life-or-death mission. In a way, that wasn't far from the truth... though Kougaiji currently wished that the distance wasn't as far as it was. The static made it difficult for him to hear Yaone.

"That's fine," he said briefly. "Keep watch. Report if you see anything, or in fifteen minutes. Whichever comes first."

"Yes, sir."

Sighing, Kougaiji threaded his fingers through his hair. It had been the same routine for nearly a week now. Yaone was out to the east, scoping out Konran Tower, the current hideout of the gods. Nothing remarkable had happened as of late, save for her reporting a boy entering the tower and not once emerging since then. Though their surveillance wasn't 24/7, Kougaiji still trusted Yaone's information.

If it hadn't been for her, they wouldn't have a chance at invading. Lirin was the worst possible choice to send as a scout. Kougaiji loved his half-sister dearly, but she was too irresponsible to be set with such a task. He didn't ignore her faults, and her short attention span was among those he recognized with ease. She wouldn't have had the patience to sit still for so long, not without demanding that Kougaiji entertain her. Besides, Lirin had already done her part- she had been the one to suggest the idea, saying she knew where to get a hold of the technology they would need. Kougaiji had been wary, but no trouble had arisen so far, so he was more at ease with the idea than he had been when she had proposed it.

Dokugakuji would have had the patience, but his build didn't made it ideal. He was too noticeable; it wasn't really his fault. It simply wouldn't work. That wasn't to say that Yaone wasn't noticeable, but she was far less so. Kougaiji certainly couldn't leave, either, not with the possibility of Gyokumen Koushu summoning him at any moment. And anyway, if the enemy had noticed her, they had chosen to humor them and let it alone.

He was about to remove the headset when a tiny beep sounded in his ear, signaling that Yaone was about to speak again. Kougaiji kept his hand on the device, but didn't remove it.

His choice proved to be wise. "My Lord, they have returned to the tower."

Frowning, Kougaiji asked, "All four of them?" From the information they had pieced together, it had seemed that there was one opponent for each member of Kougaiji's team. The irony was eye-rolling.

"Yes." There was a slight pause before Yaone spoke again. "My Lord... they carry a scripture."

"The Seiten scripture?" Kougaiji's voice came out hot, slightly bitter. He still hadn't quite recovered from his earlier defeat. Gyokumen, naturally, blamed everything on his incompetence. He could still hear her demanding, grating voice ringing in his ears. How dare you show your face to me again, after letting those gods get past you! Do you realize what we've lost? Don't you realize what you've lost, boy? Get that scripture back if you ever want to see your mother in one piece again!

As much as he hated to admit it, Kougaiji couldn't fully blame her for those words. He was, after all, a body guard of sorts. If the Seiten scripture were in danger of being stolen, it was up to him to keep it in the castle. Not only that, her reminder over her power of his mother stung. Gyokumen Koushu held his mother's fate in her hands.

Gods, how he hated that bitch.

"No." It took him a moment to let the word sink in, as well as its meaning. Even without his asking, she explained. "I believe it's the Maten scripture. The one that belongs to the Sanzo party."

So they have it... Once again, the gods had left a scar on Kougaiji's pride, though this time indirectly. He had had the chance to take the Maten scripture on occasion before, but fair play always made him hesitate and vow to return another time. But here these gods were, just taking it whenever they pleasedbecause they knew they could. They were capable. More than capable.

From the static silence that followed, Kougaiji realized Yaone was awaiting further orders. Once he was sure he could keep the anger out of his voice, he said slowly but deliberately, "Keep watch a little longer. We need an opportune chance to invade. Let me know when you think you've found that chance, Yaone."

"Yes, my Lord," she replied, her determination clear even through the white background noise. There was another beep and then silence. She had turned off the headset in order not to be distracted from her mission.

Women like her, Kougaiji could respect. In some ways she reminded him of his mother- and perhaps that was one reason why he found her companionship calming. She was a strong, loyal individual. How could he not respect that, especially when he knew she was always so eagerly trying to earn his trust?

A hesitant but deliberate knock sounded. Yaone was still out on surveillance, so he knew it wasn't her. Dokugakuji always knocked louder, more firmly, and Lirin just burst into the room. On the rare occasion she did bother to announce her presence first, it was always soft, but never cautious.

Skeptical, Kougaiji swiftly hid the headset from view, tucking it into the corner of the wall before covering it with a pillow. For once, the gaudy bedroom decor had proved useful. "Enter," he said briskly, getting to his feet.

As expected, one of the lower-status demons opened the door. He regarded Kougaiji without fear or reverence, indicating he was most likely one directly under Gyokumen's control. His bravery contradicted his earlier knock, but he had probably been told it was the only way Kougaiji would recognize who had sent him.

The demon said, "Your presence is requested, Lord Kougaiji."

The title was nothing but an accessory; the prince could tell by the way the lower demon handled it. Something didn't quite feel right, as even those under Gyokumen usually regarded Kougaiji in one way or the other. Narrowing his eyes, Kougaiji asked, "By who?"

"The name is unnecessary." Now the demon sounded as though he were reciting a boring, unmoving line from a play, or as though he were a student forced to read long, uninteresting poetry aloud. "You're not even required to come. It all depends on how much you care about those closest to you."

Lirin.

The thought was instinctive, and Kougaiji knew it wasn't wrong. His sister had a penchant for mischief, and he had the sickening feeling that she had gotten herself into deeper trouble than she could handle.

Also, he had a feeling he knew what it was about- and who had sent for him.

"Dismissed," he said curtly, striding past the demon without bothering to note his reaction. He didn't care. All he knew was that he had to go downstairs, and fast.

The elevators were back up and working again, since the attack on Houtou Castle was long over. Kougaiji didn't have the patience to push the button and wait. Instead he bypassed them completely, going directly for the stairs, taking them two at a time on his way down. His pulse throbbed in his ears, anxious, scared, and furious.

Despite the fact he rarely ever went downstairs, Kougaiji threaded through the mazelike hallways as easily as he would have upstairs. His quick pace only paused when he had to hesitate outside the Control Room doorway. Once it slid open he stepped in, eyes flickering over the room until he caught sight of who he was looking for.

Doctor Nii's back was facing him, his concentration on a computer screen before him. The clacking of keys reverberated through the room for a moment, but he stopped and turned as though sensing Kougaiji's proximity. He didn't appear alarmed, was even leaning back in his chair with a smug, knowing smirk touching his lips.

"What can I do for you, my Lord?"

Like the messenger from before, his use of Kougaiji's title wasn't in reverence or even fear. Unlike the demon, however, there was a touch of mockery in his tone. Kougaiji's fists clenched. He didn't even notice his own claws trying to dig into his skin. The pulse in his ears was accompanied by another sound: the hum of machinery. It was akin to the background static when he had been talking to Yaone just minutes ago.

"Where is my sister?" he demanded.

The man had seemed to have lost interest in eye contact; he was looking down at the stuffed, battered rabbit in his lap. Toying with one of the plush animal's paws, he mused. "Ah, the Lady... why, she's in time-out, I believe."

Nii was a slimy man, his words slick as oil and attitude just as greasy. It disgusted Kougaiji, and it angered him because the man was too damn good at rousing his fury.

Unfortunately, Nii also had a way with manipulating his words and voice so that even such a simple, innocent remark could make Kougaiji feel as though he'd been dropped into a crevice full of ice. "What are you talking about?" he growled.

If anything, the doctor's smirk merely grew wider. "I thought it was simple enough. She's in time-out for being a naughty girl. Even princesses must be punished for bad behavior." He shook his head, tsking softly as his eyes raised beneath the glimmer of his glasses. "Of course, you know all about it."

He knew all about it? Struggling to muddle through his befuddled anger, Kougaiji eventually reached a conclusion. When his eyes widened, Nii's expression transformed. It was slight, but noticeable amusement shone through.

"Yes," the man continued, tugging on one of the overstuffed ears of his toy. "What a terrible thing, to realize your own sister is a thief."

Kougaiji slammed a fist into the nearest wall. It didn't appear to phase Nii, and knowing that only made the blood in Kougaiji's veins boil hotter. "Where is she?"

"In time-out," Nii repeated, this time with a note of boredom. "However..."

When it became clear Kougaiji would have to play along to get the man to finish his sentence, the prince clenched his teeth. He tried not to grit them, waiting until he could loosen the muscles in his jaw before he spoke. "However?"

Nii's eyes went toward the ceiling, as though in a thoughtful manner. "However, I suppose she could be allowed out early with some sort of payment."

While he wasn't above making deals when someone's life was on the line, Kougaiji still hated the idea when it was used against him. His sister was strong; she was physically stronger than him, possibly even emotionally. If she hadn't freed herself by now, then there was no way she could. Knowing Doctor Nii had him wrapped around his little finger just as much as Gyokumen Koushu did was infuriating. Those two were made from similar mold.

"What kind of payment?" he asked grittily.

"Well, you seem like an intelligent young demon," Nii said, his tone still patronizing. "I'm sure you can figure it out."

Resisting the urge to slam his balled fist into the human's face, Kougaiji quickly diverted his eyes. Every muscle felt taut, the sensation making it even easier for tremors to course through him. He fought to keep a firm hold of rational thought. As he was doing so, he noticed that the doctor's other two accomplices seemed to be eavesdropping. Doctor Huang was clearly listening even as she pretended to pause and observe with false interest whatever was on the paper in her hands. The instructor - Wang, if Kougaiji remembered correctly - never looked up, but his pointed ears were twitching their way.

Really, there was no such thing as privacy in Houtou Castle.

It occurred to him then. "You want me to retrieve the Seiten scripture," he said flatly.

"It certainly would help everyone, don't you think?" Nii inquired, one eyebrow arched. His infuriating smile never left his face, only agitating Kougaiji further. "The rest of us down here can finally continue with the experiments, and you will be one step closer to having your mother back. Doesn't everybody win this way?"

Doctor Nii wasn't to be trusted. No matter how much he made things out to seem like fair play, Kougaiji couldn't shake the feeling that the man had his own hidden agenda. What, he couldn't even begin to guess, but there was definitely something. Nii was impossible to predict, but Kougaiji knew one thing: whatever he was here to do, it was for his own personal gain.

"Fine," Kougaiji muttered, turning on his heel.

He had barely taken a step before Nii mused, "I suppose you aren't interested in the other conditions..."

He froze.

"Oh my, did I catch your attention?" Nii chuckled from his seat. It wasn't until Kougaiji slowly turned to face him that the man continued. "You must think about it, my Lord. If a girl's own mother can't learn to love her, how can her brother be trusted to come in her time of need? I needed more conditions."

The blood drained from his face. Kougaiji felt as though his flesh were crawling with a thousand insects, several bugs with multiple legs. It was the sense of dread.

"What conditions?" he all but hissed.

Resting his jaw against one of his hands, Nii appeared to scrutinize Kougaiji before speaking again. "It's merely a matter of what you've been doing, my Lord. Now, normally I'm not one to poke around into other peoples' business, but once some of my equipment mysteriously vanished... well, a little looking into was necessary." His lips curled a slight bit more.

So in short, what he was about to propose was blackmail. Naturally, Nii would make it seem as innocent as possible, but Kougaiji wasn't a fool. He knew the difference, and realizing that Nii had somehow found some sort of leverage against him only served to feed his anger. Much of it was directed toward himself for not noticing.

"And?" he said impatiently. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

"And," Nii continued in his own lazy way. "I believe that Lady Koushu will be less than happy to find out you've abandoned your mission in order to get your own personal revenge against these gods." Kougaiji flushed hotly in humiliated anger, and Nii merely aggravated him further by making that tutting sound again. "Not very considerate of your mother, is it?"

"All right!" His fists were clenched hard enough to make the muscles from his wrist to shoulder taut, trembling with unshakable anger. "You've made your point," he said tersely. "I get both scriptures, you keep quiet."

Nii made an absent noise of agreement, carelessly lighting a cigarette. "The Maten scripture has the ability to banish darkness," he said, as though he hadn't told Kougaiji so several months ago upon Gyokumen Koushu's orders. "Theoretically, it should banish such memories that I would forget minor things. Princes disobeying direct orders, acting independently, taking his own alchemist to bed on a regular basis..."

Sharp emerald eyes gleamed meaningfully beneath the man's glasses. His gaze was partially obscured from the light of the computer screen reflecting off the lenses, but Kougaiji still got the full blow of the message. He paled so quickly it left him feeling numb. Even his hands had lost all sensation in them.

It was one thing to threaten his sister. While still unforgivable, Kougaiji knew he was more than capable of fighting his way back to her if need be. But if Gyokumen Koushu got even the vaguest clue that his and Yaone's relationship was anything more than platonic, whether or not the rumor was true - and it wasn't, Kougaiji had to remind himself - then he had no idea how to fight against that. Words were harder to dispel than physical bodies.

He didn't hate anyone more than Doctor Nii right then. Not even the woman tugging the strings bound to his hands and feet. Giving the man a hate-filled glare, Kougaiji reluctantly and slowly nodded. He didn't trust himself to speak, and to his relief Nii didn't force him to.

"Always a pleasure to do business with you, my Lord." And then, to add injury to insult, the man stood and bowed deeply.

Dokugakuji was in his room when Kougaiji returned. The prince wasn't in the mood to deal with him, but rather than snap at him he just strode to his bed, uncovering the headset he had set aside minutes ago. He turned it on, speaking tersely into the mouthpiece. "Yaone."

"My Lord?" She sounded puzzled and worried by his tone. From the corner of his eye, he saw that Dokugakuji wearing an expression to match Yaone's voice, though the man beside him also had his eyes narrowed as though he knew something was very wrong.

"Return to headquarters now," he said in a clipped tone. He left no room for argument, though he knew Yaone would never argue with him without very good reason. "There's been a slight change in plans. Doku will fill you in."

"Yes, sir."

He shut the device off before he let out a loud growl of frustration. He hated the feeling of being backed into a corner, and that was precisely what Nii had just done to him.

Without thinking he flung the headset at the wall. Some fragile pieces snapped off, flung across the room upon impact, but it was otherwise very well made and stayed intact. That only made Kougaiji angrier, because it proved that it was, indeed, Nii's equipment. Who else would make something that worked so well and remained, for the most part, unscathed even after abuse from one with considerable strength?

"What happened, Kou?"

He didn't turn to face the man; he couldn't. Instead, Kougaiji pressed his lips tightly together, counting backwards from ten. It gave him enough time to calm down and speak evenly. "When you go to meet Yaone, tell her plans have been changed. The stakes just got a lot higher."

From Dokugakuji's hesitance to leave right away, Kougaiji knew the man was curious as to what his leader meant by that. However, he wisely kept quiet. Seconds later the door clicked shut softly behind him, and Kougaiji finally let out the sigh that had been building up on his lungs. Groaning, he collapsed to the bed, thudding his forehead against the mattress in childish frustration. He briefly considered hitting the wall instead, but he reluctantly decided against it. Yaone and Dokugakuji were likely worried enough as it was. Causing himself a concussion would not only make things worse on them, it would ruin their opportune chance to invade Konran Tower.

Then again, they couldn't wait for opportunity anymore. This time, they were going to have to go in and risk it all with one shot. The odds were against them, but they didn't have much of a choice now.