Aahh…holidays rock!

Goku awoke safely tucked in a bed he had never been in. Panicked, he threw the blanket off him and jumped out of bed.

"Aaargghh!" He was brought down to his knees by an immense pain his chest gave him. He leaned against the bedside and looked down to see his chest carefully wrapped in bandages, but with a long blood stain showing where he had been struck. Suddenly the door burst open.

"Goku!? What happened!?" It was Nataku, wearing a light, oversized shirt to replace the torn one. As he saw Goku resting against the bed, he sighed and slowly helped him up. "Are you alright?"

"Fine…but, where are we?"

"Kougaiji's home."

"I need to talk to him…"

"Later, you have to rest. That wound is deep."

"It's nothing."

"No, you can't push yourself."

Goku grabbed onto Nataku's shirt and pulled him close.

"I said IT'S NOTHING!" Goku's eyes glared at Nataku but he looked back at him with concern.

"What happened, Goku? What's wrong?"

Goku's grip on Nataku's shirt loosened, his eyes softened and Nataku sat down beside him.

"It couldn't have been…"

"What are you talking about?"

"It couldn't have been…right?"

"Goku…?"

Goku got up slowly and moved towards the chair by the window, there were his clothes and he rummaged through them looking for a particular object. He turned to face Nataku and they both looked at the sutra that was resting in his hands.

"It can't be…" Nataku began.

"Mm…"

"Goku…Sanzo is…"

"No…I'm sure."

"It can't be Goku…" Nataku looked down, not wanting to believe what he was saying himself.

"No! IT IS HIM! I SAW HIM!" Nataku got up and it was his turn to grab onto Goku's shirt.

"Think about it! Sanzo is human! It's been forty years Goku! FORTY! Do you think at the age he would be now he can fight like that!?"

Goku's eyes widened as he realised the truth in what Nataku had said. He was foolish for having hoped…

'But that smell…those eyes…iie…Nataku's right…'

"Rest now Goku, onegai. Kougaiji is out with Dokugaku, he'll be back later." Goku nodded and he helped himself back into bed. "Are you hungry?"

"No…"

Nataku walked out, but before he closed the door, he took one last glance at Goku.

'What happened to that food brained bakasaru?'

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The two black hooded figures walked into an abandoned cabin and joined a third who was quietly sharpening swords. They communicated with each other in a knowing silence as they gathered on the table in the middle of the room. Two of them lit a cigarette each and the other watched as he sipped a cup of sake.

Completely synchronised, they all turned to the front door and saw three assassins from Tenjiku kneeling before them.

"Masters, Gyoukumen Koushu-sama and Nii Jien Yi want a report on your performance today."

The figures just stared darkly at the three. The leader stood and exhaled a puff of smoke before raising his arm to reveal a gun from within his cloak.

"Masters! What is the meaning of this!?"

Without a word, he shot the three assassins and they dissipated as he calmly sat back down, finishing off his cigarette.

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"Kougaiji, did you get the medicine?"

"Mm…and you, the food?"

"Hai."

"Then let's be on our way."

The town was only three hours away, a small distance compared to Goku's.

"Kou, was it safe to leave Yaone alone?"

"My subordinates can take care of themselves; neither you nor I need to worry. Furthermore, she has a fighting God keeping her company."

"You're right…"

"Besides, I wanted to talk to you."

Dokugaku noted the seriousness in his tone, he sighed and looked away.

"There's nothing to talk about, Kou…"

"There has to be, after 40 years…I know you've been mourning him ever since…"

Dokugaku's eyes widened, then they slowly closed as he felt defeat.

"It's because…I feel responsible."

As they walked on, Kougaiji recalled several things from that fateful day, 40 years ago.

"I just stood there, so helpless…there would have been a way to save him long before. I shouldn't have left him."

"There was no way you could have known that he'd follow such a path."

"If only…if it weren't for…" Dokugaku clenched his fist, trying not to give in to his anger.

"If it weren't for Gyoukumen Koushu," Kougaiji finished. "Dokugaku, I never knew your brother, but I'm sure he wants her to get what she deserves. I will not rest until she and Nii die, let them pay with their lives."

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Goku tossed in his sleep, his whole body was shaking with fear.

"I am Gyoukumen Koushu, the lovely wife of the darling Gyumao…"

"Damn it…" Goku whispered under his breath.

"If you won't hand over the Sutra, then I'll just have to take it from your dead hands…"

"No…they can't…"

Sanzo lifted his gun and shot her, but a few demons ran out and took them instead. "Ch…"

"You will never touch my beloved."

She smirked and hovered her finger over a certain button, and with that Nii walked away to descend to a deeper level.

Goku and Nataku signalled each other and they ran forward to attack, but before they could reach her, the room began to rumble. The ground began to shake and the walls crumble.

Then suddenly, two huge cracks formed a cross on the ground and they began to slide inwards, bringing Sanzo, Hakkai, Gojyo and the Nerneks into the deep pit in the centre.

"Sanzo!" Goku ran towards him, but then a sudden burst of steam emerged from the ground and then instantly burst into flames. Goku stopped and soon he was enclosed within a raging fire. His eyes burned though he was able to jump out, but it was too late.

Sanzo and the rest were clinging onto the edges of the broken floor with the fire spreading all around them. Sanzo looked sharply at Goku as he hung on for his life; he reached over his shoulder and took off his Sutra.

"GOKU! Take it, don't lose it!"

"Sanzo…?" The Sutra landed calmly on his hands and he couldn't believe it, he wouldn't.

"Go bakasaru!" Gojyo couldn't help saying.

"Goku…take care of yourself." Hakkai calmly added.

"No! Sanzo!" Goku frantically ran, but there were too many flames, too much heat.

"What are you doing!? Go! Don't let her have it!" With that, Sanzo's grip gave way, along with Hakkai's and Gojyo's and the Nernek's…

"SANZO!" Tears streamed down Goku's cheeks violently, clearing his face of dirt and ash.

From the other side of the room, Dokugakuji watched as his brother fell. Though his heart lifted as he saw his Shakujou's crescent blade reach out of the pit and cling onto the floor. A certain red-haired water monster struggled to lift himself up.

"JIEN!"

"Gojyo!" Dokugaku ran towards the blade to try to lift him out, but before he could reach, the ground around where the blade dug into crumbled and disappeared. In that split second, Dokugaku's heart stopped. Goku froze as he watched and fell to his knees. He clenched the sutra in his hand and cried out with all his anger and pain.

"Why? Why!?! Damn it!" Goku's rage took over him and he ran towards the fiery hole, he didn't want to live a life in eternal darkness, he wanted a sun, he wanted its warmth, its light…

"Goku!" Nataku caught up with him and grabbed onto his arm. "What are you doing!? We have to get out of here!"

"I can still save him!"

"SANZO!" Goku awoke with a start and buried his face in his hand in grief. The other reached over for the sutra and gripped it longingly. "Stupid dreams…"

Goku looked around and it was the darkest night. The moon was hidden behind the greyest cloud and silence filled his room. Goku stared at the window as if he was waiting for something…then moonlight began to pour in, though Goku hoped that what he was seeing was still part of his dream. The light revealed a dark figure standing before him.

"Shit." Goku summoned his Nyoibou but as he looked at the figures solemn presence, he got a strange impression that he didn't need it.

"Aarrghh!" The figure began to hold his head in pain and Goku was taken aback.

The figure stopped and rested against the window sill catching his breath. He stood tall once again and moved closer. Goku's eyes widened as he pulled off his hood and mask.

Goku gasped.

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Nii sat languidly at his desk and tapped his keyboard.

Bleep

Nii's eyebrow arched and he smirked.

"Well, that isn't good…right, usagi-san?"

Mo! Reviews would be greatly appreciated and good for motivation!