The Truth

Tenno: after a long while, here's chapter three! Now to bug some authors!

Disclaimer: nope. Don't own this anime…

Chapter Three: Encounter

I have escaped…

I am who I was…

I am who I am…

I am who I will be…

Until the day I die, I am…

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The loud snoring from the two older men had awoken him, and he opened his eyes to find the strange ceiling tinted with orange light. What was this? The air smelled differently, too. He took a deep breath, and the air made him feel at home. They seemed to be in a patch of… those strange roots with green things on top… He had forgotten to ask what they were…

"They're trees…" Sanzo answered, as if reading his mind. He wondered about the blond man…he seemed to know much than he actually lets on… He pointed at the light at the horizon "And that is called sunrise…" he muttered and lighted another one of those white sticks. The other three were still asleep, and Niccolo felt a little bored. He hopped off the jeep and climbed a tree, wanting to see the source of light in this strange place. He took a deep sigh. Although he can never find anything pleasing anymore back home, he was homesick. "Dwelling on the past will get you nowhere…" He turned back to Sanzo… How did he know? The man puffed out a small cloud of smoke. This time, Niccolo made sure he was a fair distance away. "Your face shows too much… I can easily see through you…"

A loud yawn caught their attention, as Goku stretched and grinned up at him. "Ohayo!" This greeting puzzled him.

"What is.. oha… yo?" he asked, jumping off the tree branch with a graceful hop and staring at the brown haired young man. Goku scratched his head… How was he to explain? "It's good morning…"

"What is a 'morning'?"

"Niccolo, where the heck did you really come from?" Gojyo asked unsure of what to think of the small blue haired boy. "You seriously don't know what morning is?" The boy shook his head… "This is crazy…" Hakkai just smiled.

"Then, maybe you can describe to us where you lived?" Hakkai asked hopefully as he gave Hakuryu a small nudge. "Sumimasen, Hakuryu-san… but I'm afraid we have to get going…" Niccolo heard a small "kyuu" from somewhere and wondered what it was.

"That thing talks?" he stared at the green jeep.

"Oh, we failed to introduce Hakuryu to you…" Hakkai looked at the dashboard. "Hakuryu?"

"Kyu!"

The jeep glowed for a moment, and in its place was a small white dragon. Niccolo knew about dragons, but he never thought of seeing one so small… Then a thought occurred to him… Hakuryu was a living creature… "Do you not feel any pity for using this small dragon so much?"

"Um, well…" Hakkai looked at his companions. Sanzo scoffed and glared at the boy. "Why do seem to care so much? Don't you get bothered by the people you killed as a Khalsa? For the sacrifices to reach your goal?" Niccolo took in a sharp breath. Sanzo knew… but he could find no answers to the man's questions.

"A Khalsa?" Gojyo exclaimed and looked like all his questions about the boy's mysteries were answered. He slapped his forehead. "So that's why!"

"That's why what?" Goku asked, receiving a bonk on the head from Gojyo.

"You idiot! Don't you know what a Khalsa is?"

"Is it edible?"

"No, Goku…" Hakkai answered and allowed Hakuryu to land on his shoulder. "A Khalsa is a person belonging to a clan who live underground… they are somewhat like elite soldiers… like assassins…" Hakkai looked at the boy. "But you obey no one, but the gods… am I correct?" The boy merely nodded.

"But our clan is no more…" Niccolo explained, recalling what had happened. "The negative wave had stirred something within the walls of our dwelling place, and everyone there perished in the hands of an enemy we have never heard of, nor seen before."

"So, you mean you are the sole survivor?" Gojyo asked, bringing out a white stick and the one that produced a small flame. He should really ask what those were.

"I am uncertain of that myself," Niccolo answered, touching the handle of Arjan's dagger. "I heard familiar voices from the tunnel… I do not even know if we were attacked by our own men…" Sanzo tossed away what was left of his white stick and looked at him with a poker face. "Your enemies will come looking for you… that's for sure…" he said. "But we will not fight your battles for you… understood?" Niccolo nodded, just as he would nod to Captain Arjan. "I am aware of that." "But if they get in our way, we will destroy them as well." And as if this finalized all, Hakuryu gave a loud kyu and reverted to the small green jeep that he was. They all got in and continued their journey to the west.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Kougaiji stared at their recent footage of the Sanzo-ikko and thought of a strategy that would land them of getting the Evil Sutra. Although this footage was taken a week ago, it was good enough to form a plan. They had to ambush them somehow…

"Lirin-sama! Please come back!" Yaone's voice echoed in the hall and he wasn't fast enough in reacting before getting pushed to the ground by his hyperactive little sister. "I am so sorry Kougaiji-sama!" Yaone exclaimed, bowing profusely, drowning him with apologies.

"It's alright Yaone…" Kougaiji mumbled, getting his sister off of him who grinned like an idiot.

"Ne,ne, Onii-chan! Are we really going after hage Sanzo soon?" Lirin said excitedly, now jumping around his brother who kept turning, in an attempt to stop her. "Will I get to play?"

"Yes, Lirin… you will get to play…" the demon prince answered, sighing when Lirin stopped jumping. "Now, call Dokugakuji so I can start the briefing."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Sanzo turned his head to the west, as if hearing Kougaiji's voice, and their plan to take away the sutra once more. They were nowhere near a town, and if the Kougaiji-ikko did attack, there will be little damage. He felt the small green jeep stop, and looked ahead. The bridge they were going to cross had been destroyed, although there were no signs of recent floods at all. This was definitely strange.

"I'm afraid we have to go upstream for another route…" Hakkai apologized, for he remembered a similar incident in the past, and Sanzo wasn't happy when he suggested they turn back.

"Do what you have to, Hakkai…" came the monk's reply. "Something tells me we will meet Kougaiji soon."

"Kougaiji?" Goku's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Honto?" Niccolo was taken by surprise by Goku's enthusiasm, and wondered: Who was this Kougaiji person? Sanzo may have noticed his face again, for he answered: "Kougaiji is our enemy… not yours. If you can help it, keep out of this fight… understood?" Niccolo stared. Sanzo was so much like his captain… "Hey kid, I'm talking to you."

"Uh, yes sir!"

Hakkai laughed, and continued to drive, reminding the others to hold on tight, for he knew that the path ahead was not going to be smooth at all.

They had found a bridge to cross by the end of the day, and as they reached the other side of the river, out of the darkness came four figures, namely Kougaiji, Yaone, Dokugakuji and Lirin. Niccolo instantly felt the four men tense. So this was their enemy.

"Niccolo, duck!" Gojyo whispered and he obeyed as he was told.

"There is no point trying to hide him…" Dokugakuji voiced out. "We will kill him anyway after we take the sutra."

"I didn't know you guys stooped down to killing children…" Gojyo scoffed at his half brother and brought out his shaku-jo. Dokugakuji did the same, bringing out his sword. "Let's see continue where we left off a long time ago!"

The four engaged into battle, Goku fighting this Kougaiji person, Hakkai against this Miss Yaone, Gojyo against Dokugakuji and Sanzo, fighting with, -or rather- playing with the orange haired girl. He went beside the blond man, whose veins showed by the temples. "Hey, Sanzo…"

"What?" came the cross reply.

"Is she an enemy?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you playing with her?"

"Because I don't fight with kids." He answered dryly, and was rewarded with a strong pull on his perfect blond hair. "Owww! Cut it out you crazy gaki!"

"I'm not a kid!" the girl said, pulling ferociously at Sazno's hair. She finally let go and jumped in front of them, sticking her tongue out at them. "Hage!"

"What is a hage?"

"Don't ask…"

Lirin noticed Niccolo and pointed a finger at him. "Hey! Wanna play? Even though you're younger than me, I think you can put up a fight!" Niccolo touched the hilt of his daggers, excitement flowing through him. He sensed that this girl was strong and he wanted to know up to what extent he could take her on. Sanzo backed away to where Hakuryu stopped, and the small dragon changed back, as if sensing the battle to come. Lirin assumed a stance and grinned. "I won't go easy on you!"

Niccolo smirked and brought out his daggers. "Neither will I!" he also assumed a stance and waited for the other to strike. Suddenly, the girl jumped and gave a kick, and all he could do was block, with the feeling of getting hit by a large rock. He was suddenly at a disadvantage, doing nothing else but block his opponent's attacks… He then realized that Lirin mostly used her legs to attack. When the girl delivered a high kick, he blocked it and used the force of the strike against her, outbalancing her and allowing him to put a finish to their fight, his daggers to the girl's throat. The others stopped fighting, staring at what had happened. Kougaiji couldn't believe it. He signaled a halt to the fighting and nodded to the boy to let his sister go. Yaone, Dokugakuji and Lirin immediately went to his side.

"We will end this, for now…" he told the Sanzo-ikko and looked at the boy. He recognized the yin and yang sign on the boy, and the long braided hair… He didn't expect to have him as an enemy as well. "This is not over… little Khalsa." He looked at his companions, and all of them vanished in a blink.

"Is it just me, or did Kougaiji recognize Niccolo?" Gojyo asked and kept his weapon. "The whole world seems to know our little friend…"

"You are quite overreacting, Gojyo," Hakkai said, letting Hakuryu turn back into a jeep. "Kougaiji may have just identified a Khalsa in its entirety…" He looked at Niccolo. "And Niccolo just happens to have all the common things about the Khalsa…"

"Seriously?" Goku asked, looking at Niccolo with so much curious scrutiny that the boy felt a little uneasy. "Well, he's just Niccolo to me!"

Something about that statement struck something in Niccolo, but before he could prod it, Sanzo told them to get going. He shrugged off the feeling as they continued their journey to the west.

The two cloaked figures still watched, but this time, there was an air of uncertainty around them.

"There is something amissss…"

"I am afraid so."

TBC

Well, I dunno if I'll be continuing writing again for a while… I am experiencing the worst kind of problem.

Ceasing to exist.

It's tiring to keep moving from place to place and keeping up with changes with everyone, especially with your own twin. Our journey to the west continues.