A/N: I don't own Saiyuki or this song, which is by the Damning Well and is really good.
Chapter Four
Awakening—The Damning Well
Part 2
Their escort tossed them unceremoniously into two tiny cells—Goku, Hakkai, and Gojyo in one, and Sanzo and Seiten Taisei in the other. Apparently, they weren't considered much of a thread, because only one guard was left behind. He sat far at the other end of the hall, playing solitaire before dozing off in his seat.
Why the hell did they put a dead body in a cell? Sanzo wondered. There was no doubt that Seiten Taisei was dead; the way his neck had snapped and the odd way his head was drooping was pretty definitive.
Forget the ape. There are more important things right now, he thought, like the fact that they had confiscated both his gun and his scripture. Like the fact that they were laughing when they did it, and discussing how it would be burned, "along with all the others," and then chained his hands behind his back.
First thing's first; a way out, then worry about the scripture. He didn't have many resources however; both his weapons were gone. His hands were bound, and the only light came through a tiny window at the top of his cell door. It wasn't like he kept a lock picking kit in his robes, and even if he did, he couldn't get to the lock.
I hope Hakkai comes up with something, he though. Maybe he could blast through the doors-
There was a sudden sound of an explosion from a few cells down.
"Oops…heheheh…guess that won't work," said Hakkai's disembodied voice.
Scratch that idea. He glanced uneasily at the body lying next to him in the cell. At least with this older Goku dead, the screaming had stopped.
Maybe there was something on him that would help; some hidden weapon or something. Sanzo leaned over to investigate. The guards hadn't taken the scroll from the satchel at his belt. Curious more than anything else, Sanzo turned so he could reach the scrolls, pulling them out, he slipped off the string that held them closed, then rolled them across the cell floor to open them.
"The Seiten and Maten scriptures…" he breathed. "What the hell is that damn monkey doing with these?"
Something cracked in the ape's general direction. Sanzo turned to see Goku rolling his head from side to side, vertebrae popping left and right.
"What the hell?" Sanzo jumped back against the wall.
Cause there's something that
I realize
That I miss being human
I realize
That I miss being human
Nothing Times
"Gah…that hurts like hell," Seiten Taisei moaned. He looked around. Won't be long now, he thought. "Sanzo?"
"What—you were dead—"
"No, I had a broken neck. …It takes a little more than that to kill me." With two of his power limiters gone, his face was more expressive than Sanzo had seen it thus far, and he wasn't speaking in monotone. He seemed to be having trouble pulling thoughts together, though.
Goku pulled himself into a sitting position. He could really feel the loss of his limiters; his pent-up emotions were raging just beyond the dam of his control, threatening to spill. He could smell Sanzo; the smell he had wanted for so long, but he could also smell his blood. His desire to kill was rising too, now that he was at last inside the palace of heaven, even if it was as a prisoner.
He examined the cell. He could easily break out, but he might sacrifice his last limiter. He needed it to last until he was brought before the Emperor before he could exact his revenge.
His eyes fell on the rolled out scriptures. "The scrolls!" He started to reach for them, before realizing his hands were bound behind his back.
"What were you doing with these?" Sanzo asked.
"They were entrusted to me," Goku replied, still staring at the scrolls and pointedly avoiding Sanzo's stare.
"By who?" he demanded.
Goku swallowed hard, remembering the last time he had been in a cell like this with Sanzo, knowing he was going to die.
Sanzo coughed; a wet cough that sounded almost as unpleasant as it must have felt. One of the guards had hit him in the chest, and he was fairly certain there was at least one broken rib there, scratching at his lungs.
Goku slid over to him awkwardly, one shoulder dislocated, golden eyes wide with concern. "Sanzo, are you alright?"
Sanzo tried to hide the blood in his hand when he removed it from his mouth, but Goku could smell it. He inched a little closer. They had already killed Hakkai and Gojyo; they were planning something to the souls that would keep them from ever being reincarnated. He wouldn't let the same thing happen to Sanzo.
"Goku, I need you to listen to me," the monk said, his breath shallow with pain. He knew he wouldn't last long if they chose to fight again, and even shorter if they just gave up.
He removed the Maten scripture from his shoulders, rolling it carefully, and took the Seiten from his robes. He placed both in Goku's good hand.
"Take these," he said, another bout of coughing consuming him. "Take them. Hide them. Do something. Just keep them safe," Sanzo demanded.
Footsteps echoed down the stone hall; Sanzo tucked the scrolls into Goku's shirt. The cell door opened, the shaft of light temporarily blinding them both. By the time Goku could see again, Sanzo was gone.
Goku couldn't bring himself to answer; couldn't tell Sanzo that he was responsible for his death. That he couldn't save him.
"Answer me!" Sanzo demanded, kicking Goku in the shoulder and knocking him over.
He closed his eyes, turning away from Sanzo. "You did," he whispered.
"That's a lie. I'd never leave the scrolls with you. I don't even have both of them right now!" He paused. "Where did you get the Seiten Scripture?"
"From you," Goku replied, pulling himself back into a sitting position. "We got it back from Gyoukumen Kousho. You left it to me when—"
"When what?"
"…When you died." Goku stared hard at the floor, balling and unballing his fists.
Sanzo stared at him. "I would never do such a thing."
"You did."
"No!"
Goku shook his head. "Regardless of what you do or don't believe, that's the way it happened." He fidgeted with the chain of his manacles. It snapped easily. He rolled up the scrolls tucking them back in the bag before snapping the chains at his ankles.
He reached into the second sack, pulling out one of the little red stones. It was semi-transparent; a dark blood red that glowed strangely in the dim light.
"Do you know what this is?" Goku asked, holding the stone between two clawed fingers so it caught the light from the window.
"It's some kind of jewel," Sanzo replied. "Probably magical, since it came off your limiter."
"It's not a stone," Goku replied. "It's the crystallized blood of a god. Konzen Douji's to be exact."
Sanzo's eyes narrowed. He knew that name from somewhere.
"Yours in a past life."
"What!"
"Your first incarnation was as god," Goku explained. "That was when we first met. Later, you were incarnated as a human—the way you are now. Through each incarnation, I was always with you; first because you were supposed to take care of me, but then because I wanted to be with you. The gods always made sure our paths crossed, because you have power over me; you can keep my demonic energy in check.
"But the gods realized you couldn't be reincarnated fast enough; there would always be a few years when I was left to my own devices, and that made me a danger in their eyes. So they took you…and…" Goku squeezed his eyes shut. "killed you. Because your first incarnation was a god, that is the form your soul goes back to if it's left on it's own for too long. They did something; kept you from fully regaining a physical form, but took blood from the god form. Made these jewels. Made new power limiters for me.
"They're supposed to keep me under control, but it's been five hundred years, and I just keep getting stronger. The Jade Emperor made these, but they're not as strong as that one you made for me. They crack every time I use my power." He touched his headband, and a piece came off in his hand. He held it in his palm, staring at the glittering gold and red.
"That's why I want to kill the Emperor. He killed you; he made it so I was always alone. It's like being tapped in that damn mountain again, even though I can move around. Because of him, I know you won't come back." The pieces of his limiter slipped from his hand, tinkling on the stone floor as Goku drew his knees up to his chest.
Down the hall, footsteps and voices could be heard. In a matter of minutes they would be taken up before the Emperor.
Goku stretched out again. He was running out of time. He looked over at Sanzo, who still seemed to be digesting what he had told him.
Goku leaned over, brushing his lips along Sanzo's in a feather-light kiss.
"I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you," he whispered. The latch on the cell rattled. "I love you."
The door opened as Goku pulled away.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing? How did you get out of your chains?" the guard demanded.
Seiten Taisei didn't answer, merely slipped his impassive mask back place and allowed himself to be restrained as he was lead from the cell.
The five of them were chained together at the wrists; a long chain of travelers led up from the dungeon to the throne room where the Jade Emperor would decide their fate.
Two burly guards took Seiten Taisei by the elbows, half dragging him up the stairs; behind him followed Sanzo, Goku, Hakkai , and Gojyo.
When they reached the throne room, they were made to kneel on the red carpet, one of the guards pushing Seiten Taisei's head down into a respectful position.
"Seiten Taisei Son Goku," began the Jade Emperor, "You have been brought here today to face justice for your many crimes. The murder of War Prince Nataku, as well as that of Cho Hakkai, Sha Gojyo, and Genjo Sanzo, not to mention countless others; gods, humans, and demons alike."
"Don't try to blame me for your crimes," Seiten Taisei growled, his eyes molten as he glared at the Emperor. "If you're going to try me for murder, at least try me for the ones I've committed."
"Silence!"
Seiten Taisei looked down at his shaking hands. Beside him, he was aware of Sanzo watching him; Hakkai and Gojyo were muttering something; one of the guards silenced them with blows to the head, though neither was knocked out.
"Sanzo?" Seiten Taisei whispered, trying to keep the guard from hearing him. The monk made no reply, but he was near enough that he could feel the subtle shift in his position that meant he was listening.
"Run."
I like hunting the pieces
I like hunting the pieces
I like hunting the pieces
Cause I have come to need this
I like hunting the pieces
I like hunting the pieces
Cause I have come to need this
Shell
That was all the warning Sanzo got; the next instant, Seiten Taisei looked up, the fire in his eyes like the fires of hell, his shackles and power limiter shattering. Before the shards of the limiter had even hit the ground, Seiten Taisei had leapt across the room, claws to the Emperor's throat.
Panic broke out. The onlookers tried to flee as the guards tried to control the Monkey King with no luck.
Someone grabbed Sanzo's shoulder.
"Hurry, come with me," ordered the Merciful Goddess, pulling him to his feet and dragging him out of the throne room through a secret chamber. Still chained together, the other three followed.
The door led through a small chamber into a crowded hall filled with panicked people and guards. She pulled them through the through, along dozens of twisting corridors, until the halls were empty. She pushed open a door, yanking them down a flight of stairs.
The sounds from above became muffled, but they could still hear the screams from the throne room. Goku was shaking. A—Am I really like that? He wondered.
"Will he be alright?" Hakkai asked.
"Goku will be fine," she replied hurriedly, pulling open cabinets.
They were in what appeared to be a laboratory, full of stainless steel. The lights were off, the only illumination coming from a few screens and strange looking experiments.
At last Kanzeon Bosatsu found what she was looking for; there was a torch in one of the cabinets, which she used to burn off their chains.
"Help me with these," she said, moving towards the hidden, rear portion of the lab.
The four exchanged glances, but followed her past rows of shelves.
Somewhere near the back, there was a glow.
"What's that noise?" Goku asked. Something was rattling; it sounded like metal on metal, or maybe glass on metal.
"They're back here," she said, leading them around the last bend.
There were three glowing orbs, each the size of a man's head sitting on the shelf. Two sat neatly on cup-shaped pedestals, one red, one green. Both were covered in paper wards, and seemed to hum a little.
Kanzeon took them, tossed them at Gojyo and Hakkai. "Get those wards off, and make it quick," she said, reaching for the third.
The third orb was a bright shade of violet. It was encased in an hourglass-like contraption full of springs, and shook violently, the springs only just keeping it from crashing to the floor.
Kanzeon grabbed at one of the wards, but the orb was shaking so hard she couldn't get a grip on it.
"Damnit! Hold still will you? I can't let you out if you keep moving around!"
"'Let you out?' What're in these things?" Startled, Gojyo held the orb he was working on at arms length.
"They're souls. Souls of gods," she replied. The glowing violet ball had calmed slightly, though it still seemed to hum with energy. She grabbed at one of the wards and began peeling it off.
"What?"
"These are the souls of three gods, punished by the Jade Emperor for ignoring his edicts," she said. "They were once prominent in his court, but when they sided with a heretic against him, he ordered them executed. They were quite powerful however, so he has kept their souls contained here, so that he can use their power. Ah!" The last ward gave; she released the orb from the mechanism, raised it over her head, and brought it crashing to the floor.
Glass shot in every direction, purple mist rising from the ruin and quickly solidifying into a human figure; he hit the ground in a roll and came up running for the door; he was gone before any of them could get a look at him beyond flashes of violet and blonde hair.
"Smash those once the wards are off," she ordered Hakkai and Gojyo as she followed after.
By the time he reached the throne room, it had become a pool of blood, but Goku was still going. Close to a hundred broken bodies littered the floor; the mangled, shredded corpse of the Jade Emperor was still seated in the throne, recognizable only by its location.
The guards had stopped coming. There wasn't a single living soul left in the throne room except for him, and Goku, who was tearing a body in the corner into tiny pieces.
Goku looked up when he entered. He was covered in blood from head to foot, but his bloodlust wasn't sated yet. When he saw him, he made a mad dash for him, ready to strike.
"You damn monkey," he muttered under his breath. He extended his arm, catching Goku around the forehead.
There was a brilliant glow of gold; when it faded, Goku stood before him, his simple gold limiter back in place for the first time in centuries.
Goku fingered the headband, as though unable to believe it was really there. He looked at him, his golden eyes once again holding a bit of that childish innocence he had once been famous for.
Cause there's something that
I realize
That I miss being human
Cause there's something that
I realize
That I miss being human
I teach lies
That I miss being human
I teach lies
That I miss being human
I teach lies
"Damn brat," Konzen muttered, sweeping out of the room, brushing past Sanzo and the others, plus Kenren and Tenpou as he exited.
"Konzen…"
"Jeeze," Kenren muttered as Konzen disappeared down the hall. "You whine for five hundred years, and then he finally shows up again and that's the best you can do? Never mind that we don't even get a hello…"
Goku snapped back to the present. "Ken-nii! Ten-chan!" he cried, greeting them both with hugs. The Sanzo party stared on, confused.
"Ten…chan?"
"Ken…nii?"
"We should probably send them back now, shouldn't we?" Tenpou said with a laugh.
"Yeah, probably," Kenren replied. He shoved Goku into the hall, jerking his head in the direction Konzen had gone with a wink. Seiten Taisei smiled, and ran off after the purple-clad god.