And….. I sincerely sincerely sincerely apologise for this very late update. With assignments and tutorials and exams and all that crap, it's kinda hard to find time to sit and type, and even then, my brain refuses to co-operate . Anyways, thanks loads to all you guys who have continued reading this, especially jarm XD Hope you won't find this disappointing!
Chapter 8
Sanzo's eyes suddenly shot open, glaring fixedly at the youkai poised in mid-jump directly in front of him. "MAKAI TENJYO!!!!" The sound of his resounding voice echoing throughout the enclosure was met with total and absolute silence. The youkai rushing up to him froze immediately, prepared to be extinguished by the overwhelming power of the sutra. Merry birds ceased to twitter. Noisy crickets' chirping stopped abruptly. And the frogs had suddenly decided that now wasn't the best time to continue croaking. Goku pulled up short at the sound of the yell, Gojyo groaned, and Hakkai winced. This was NOT good. Not good at all.
Ten whole seconds ticked by slowly, VERY slowly. The supposedly doomed front youkai who had frozen as if he was turned into stone cautiously cracked open an eyelid, fully expecting to see the sight of Satan himself, complete with pitchfork and all. Instead, he found himself staring at an incredulous-looking Sanzo who was peering disbelievingly at his sutra. "What the (#&(# is this????" Realisation suddenly dawned upon Sanzo when he noticed that the squiggly lines decorating the front of the sutra were, in fact, merely squiggly lines. Oh sure, they resemble the characters in the original sutra, but a closer inspection showed that the lines were shaky, the ink was of a shade lighter, and worst of all, the last line of the scroll was nothing but utter gibberish. Sanzo turned and faced he other three calmly, with the most unreadable expression ever. Experience, however, warned Hakkai that it was the calm before the storm, the false sense of tranquility before all hell breaks loose and he cringed at the thought of the inevitable.
Although undeniably a little on the dim-witted side with an IQ level far below the average person, the youkai weren't as brainless as to not grab an opportunity which falls straight into their laps. They lunged forward at Sanzo with unleashed ferocity, their faces twisted into unrecognizable masks of fury with their sharp nails glinting wickedly in the sun's fading rays. This was their moment. Revenge for all their sacrificed comrades. Success in their long-time mission of obtaining the sutra. And above all, immortality that comes from devouring the flesh of a Sanzo. Sanzo was caught off guard by the sudden attack, his mind still whirring from the forms of torture that would be required once he lay in hands on those three… well… he could think of no expletive apt enough to describe them. He suddenly became aware of the youkais' presence when they were within 2 feet from him, and by then, he could hardly dodge the far-reaching swords and outstretched arms aiming for his bare neck.
It was a pure nightmare for Goku, Gojyo, and Hakkai, watching as the sharp pointy nails slashed viciously across Sanzo's chest, eliciting a sharp gasp of pain from him as agony raced across his tormented body. Jagged swords sank deep into his abdomen, and it was all he could do in his hugely weakened state to raise his arms to parry the nasty-looking axes that would have hacked his head off if allowed to travel further. But this left him wide open, leaving the youkai ample opportunity to bury their spears and axes into his already profusely bleeding torso. Sanzo stumbled back in near blindness, choking back the strangled cry that threatened to burst out and clutching a gaping side wound with blood-stained hands. Efficient as he was when it comes to youkai, this was undoubtedly too much for him to handle. Weaponless, taken by surprise and outnumbered by fifty to one, it was a miracle he was still alive. But that won't be for long if this keeps up.
He made no move, choosing only to curse vehemently when one of the youkai gleefully snatched the sutra from his shoulders. Chh. They can have that wretched piece of thrash for all he cares. Good luck trying to revive Gyumaoh with it. His sarcastic thoughts were suddenly forgotten as the aggressive youkai drew nearer, ready to deliver the finishing blow that would rid the world of Genjyo Sanzo for good. Goku finally snapped out of his stupor and in three long steps, planted himself firmly between the advancing youkai and Sanzo. The cold, merciless and unforgiving stare he directed at the youkai spoke louder than any words he could have come up with, and the youkai suddenly found themselves with very reluctant feet and chilled blood running through their veins. Which was why they turned and fled, the one clutching the 'sutra' already vanishing into the thick undergrowth.
But Goku wasn't going to let them get away with it. No bloody way. They were going to suffer for what they had done to Sanzo. His mind clouded with fury and anguish, he crashed his way through the entire throng, toppling the youkais like bowling pins. Barely a handful escaped unscathed into the jungle, leaving the battlefield scattered with youkai bodies and looking like a massacre had taken place. Only then did the frenzied Goku pause to catch his breath, his eyes still glazed over with emotion.
"Goku?" Hakkai called out hesitatingly, unsure as to whether Goku was still his old self or had transformed into the Saiten Taisei Son Goku. Sure, the golden limiter around his head was still intact, but Goku's earlier rampage was so alike his uncontrollable other half that Hakkai seemed uncertain. But the Goku who turned and saw his Sun's severely wounded and unconscious state cried out in distress and hurried to his side where Hakkai was already situated, all signs of the previous violence gone.
"Hakkai! How is Sanzo?? Can you heal him? Is he going to be alright??"
Hakkai released a breath he didn't know he had been holding and gave Goku a slight smile, as reassuring as he could make it. "I'll try my best, Goku, don't worry." His brow furrowed with concentration, a tiny glow of light appeared beneath his palms hovering over the profusely bleeding gashes. The most he could do was to stop the bleeding before Sanzo bled to death and pray that his only injuries were merely surface wounds. Sanzo was in very bad shape, there was no doubt about that. There were numerous deep slashes across the entire length of his chest, and a huge gaping wound just below his left ribs. Most probably from one of those axes, Hakkai surmised absently even as he hastened to seal it close. And his arm…. even Hakkai grimaced at the sight of it. The hacks were brutal enough to leave very jagged tears in the flesh, some deep enough for the bone to peek through. Infection was going to be a problem afterwards. But right now, the bleeding… that was what he should focus on.
Goku, who could only stare at Hakkai's every move anxiously, fidgeted endlessly as his thoughts ran wild. What if Sanzo was too badly injured?? What if Sanzo doesn't make it?? What if… what if…. A hand suddenly clamped down upon his shoulder, making him jump. He whirled around, already summoning his Nyoibu in anticipation of more youkai to be pummeled, but checked himself when he saw it was only Gojyo. Having disposed of the few remaining unfortunate youkai, he had hastened over to them, his expression grave for once when he noted Sanzo's severe injuries. The seriousness of the situation did not escape him, and though many arrive at the conclusion that there was no love lost between him and Sanzo, their constant squabbling and heated debates merely served to strengthen their companionship, although both would deny this fervently. And Gojyo knew that Sanzo was more fragile than any of them, where the precarious line between life and death could be easily crossed.
"How's he doing?" asked Gojyo quietly when he noticed the fading glow from Hakkai's fingertips. Hakkai turned to them, his expression dead-panned but his eyes betraying the worry he was struggling to hide from them.
"I've closed his surface wounds and stopped the bleeding, but there's severe internal bleeding which I can't do anything about." He paused for a moment to let the words sink in. "We need to get him to a doctor fast. I think it's best if we retraced our steps to the last town instead of trying to make it to the next one"
"But… but… he'll be alright, won't he, Hakkai?"
"You've got nothing to worry about, idiot saru…. Sanzo's tougher than he looks. Hell, I bet he'll even outlive me."
"I'm sure Gojyo's quite right about that, Goku," Hakkai managed a rather watery smile at that. Then at Gojyo's sudden frown, he hastily added, "The 'being tougher than he looks' part I mean, not the outliving part."
Hakruyuu had readily agreed to descend from his high perch, getting medical attention for Sanzo being an emergency and all. Goku had insisted on carrying Sanzo to the jeep and Gojyo had insisted that Goku's doing would only result in Sanzo's back being broken or something to that effect and that HE, should be the one transporting him to the car. But a stern look from Hakkai had sufficed, and between themselves, they had managed to move Sanzo into the backseat of the jeep without inflicting further damage upon him. In five minutes' time, they were on their way. Hakkai behind the wheel and very wide awake, Gojyo beside him and not finding trouble with Goku for once, and Goku nursing a still-unconscious Sanzo whose head rested comfortably on his lap. And they remained that way till the town they were heading for loomed into view four hours later.