Sorry for the wait, but I hope you enjoy the next installment. Thank you so much for reading, reviewing and joining along for the ride!

Chapter 13: Too Far Gone

"Calm down!" Dokugakuji held up his hands pleadingly. Yaone's hair was frazzled and she looked like Lirin had been hurt or something. Though, considering she'd been running around the castle more lately instead of outside, thank the gods for little blessings, it wasn't likely. So that left Dokugakuji trying to calm a frantic woman, lucky him. "Now say that again."

"Someone was in my lab!" Yaone shrieked. She had gone in this morning all ready to make a few extra bombs for Kougaiji's next outing when she saw the mess. Papers misplaced, powders missing, and a few of her final products had been broken apart. Not to mention little tell-tale signs of theft! "They messed with my things and ruined everything!"

"Well, okay." Dokugakuji tried his best to calm his friend. There were hundreds of demons in this castle alone that could have done it. For all they knew it was just someone messing with them for the heck of it. Heck, Dokugakuji wouldn't put it past Koushuu to send someone to do something like that just because she was bitter. "It could just be some random idiot who got lost."

"They took all of the papers and materials I had taken from Nii's lab." Yaone narrowed her eyes. Dokugaku just was not understanding her frustration. Hadn't she told him when she first saw him in the hall of all the damages? Seems she'd have to repeat herself. "All of it. Random idiots don't do that."

The elder demon sighed. Great, so now he made Yaone mad and there's a serious leak of information out. The swordsman was silently wishing Kougaiji would show up from checking Lirin so they could get on with things. "Okay, so Nii or one of his flunkies was in your lab. Have you told Kou yet?"

"Not yet, but when I find out who did it." Yaone huffed and gripped her fists. She hadn't been this angry since, well, Nii kidnapped her. She really hated that man. "They're going to be sorry."

"Just, calm down. Losing your head won't solve anything." Dokugakuji crossed his arms. He really couldn't understand women sometimes, and Yaone was usually so calm and reasonable, too.

"Excuse me? 'Just, calm down?' I've been violated and you tell me to just calm down!"

"Ouch. No need to shout." Dokugakuji winced a little at the outburst. "Violated? Jeez, Yaone. He got into your lab, not your knickers."

"The sanctity of her lab is just as precious to Yaone as if it where that, I'm sure."

"Kou!" Dokugakuji couldn't help the grin as he inched towards his prince who had miraculously appeared behind him. Yaone looked like she was ready to castrate the swordsman with a bomb as it is. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough." Kougaiji turned to his apothecary and put on a sweet smile. It might be best to diffuse the situation at hand before moving on to more important things. "Take an inventory of everything that was taken. We'll get him for this, I promise."

"Of course, Lord Kougaiji." Yaone smiled at her lord. At least he understood her. With that in mind, Yaone took a deep calming breath and headed back for her lab. Dr. Nii would definitely pay for every single bit of powder that was missing from her lab.

"Thanks for the save, man." Dokugakuji muttered as Yaone walked off.

"Not a problem, my friend." Kougaiji chuckled a little. The wrath of a woman scorned was something he wouldn't wish on anyone.

"So, what are we going to do about this little problem?" Dokugakuji dragged a hand across his face. This whole thing was turning into a madhouse and he really had no clue what to do about any of it.

"I'm not sure." Kougaiji sighed. "And we still haven't found out who took that dragon, either."

"Things are just perfect around here, aren't they?"

"Something like that." Kougaiji hummed to himself. The first step to solving a problem, was to figure out what it was in the first place. He was still missing far too many of the pieces to know exactly what he was dealing with, but he was sure they'd find out soon enough. "Let's go, Dokugakuji."

"Yes, sir."

"So, are we going to do this or what? This is a total waste of my time otherwise." Kouryuu huffed. Those three morons were still staring at him like fish. Maybe they were still shocked it was a human attacking them instead of a hoard of demons. Whatever the case, he was getting bored with the little stand off. "I know you guys get this all the time, so why the big shock now?"

"Sanzo." Goku breathed. Sanzo was standing there, before him, as proud as ever. Full grown, too. He had even gotten his familiar scowl back on his face that declared he was now irritated with them. But what was he talking about? "Why are you doing this?"

"That should be obvious by now. It's not like there are that many people trying to take that thing that aren't related to Gyumaoh in some way shape or form." The blonde sighed. Dad had said something about these three being mentally challenged, but he had hoped the old man had been wrong. Kouryuu scratched the back of his head viciously. He was getting a headache. "And for the last time, the name's not Sanzo."

"Do forgive us, the resemblance between you and our Sanzo is remarkable." Hakkai started slowly. If what they had seen by now of the good doctor, mind control and brain washing didn't seem out of character. He already had a perfect subject to work with considering the vulnerable state in which he had taken Sanzo. Capture and detoxification seemed to be the best course of action in this scenario. He tensed a bit. Knocking Sanzo out wasn't going to be an easy task. Distraction, then. "You said your name was Kouryuu? Bit odd for a human to side with demons, don't you think?"

"Yes, that's my name. And it can't be any different than a demon siding with humans, now can it?" Kouryuu felt like banging his head into a wall. These three were just so irritating for some reason. He wanted to shoot at them already and he'd only been here for what, fifteen minutes at tops? "Now are you going to hand over the scripture or not?"

"This is such bull shit." Gojyo slowly reached into his jacket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He wished he had some hard liquor on him, too. As he lit a stick, he realized nicotine just wasn't going to cut it today 'cause his hands were still shaking. Though, there was something bitterly ironic about this whole situation that made Gojyo's face twist into a perverted smile. "Why the hell do we get stuck with this sort of luck?"

"Life just likes us, I guess." Hakkai pat Jeep on the hood and waited for him to transform. As soon as he was a safe distance in the air Hakkai turned towards Sanzo and prepared for the worst. This was going to get ugly, one way or another. "Are you sure you want a fight? I'm sure you've heard of our reputation."

Goku swallowed a little at that question. If there was a fight, that meant he'd be fighting Sanzo. Sure, he'd done it before, but Sanzo was never actually trying to kill him. Goku wondered if he could actually hurt Sanzo if necessary. Well, he knew that he could if he had to do it, but that didn't mean that he wanted to. Goku clenched his fists and growled at himself as Sanzo started smirking. Somebody was really gonna' get it if Goku had to beat the shit out of Sanzo, even if he had dreamed about doing it at one point or another.

At Hakkai's words, Kouryuu smiled and reached down to the holster resting on his thigh. Unlatching the top he pulled his favorite little toy out and leaned the barrel against the side of his head and tapped it twice. The little thump of metal against his hair got his blood pumping. This was going to be so much fun. "I think I can handle it."

"Shit!" Gojyo ducked out of the way when the bullets whizzed by his hair. He had barely seen the man move, let alone cock and shoot the gun. What really sucked, is Hakkai didn't see it coming either. Well, that's what Gojyo assumed since his buddy was on the ground with a little red welt on his arm where the bullet grazed him. "Oi! A little warning next time."

"What type of idiot warns his target he's going to shoot at them?" Kouryuu laughed around the next few shots. They dodged them, but he didn't expect any less. They were supposed to be good, Kouryuu would have been disappointed if they were anything less. "Now let's get this over with. I have a date."

"A date?" Goku broke from his thoughts about the current situation at that little line of text. He could never remember Sanzo ever going out with anybody other than Hakkai and Gojyo, and himself of course. Goku ducked and rolled at another trail of shots. Sanzo hated people. The monkey winced when a shot got pretty close to his ear. Sanzo was fast. But come on, Sanzo, on a date? "You? A Date? Really?"

"What's that supposed to mean you little maggot?" Kouryuu growled and kept firing a more rapid pace. That cheeky little brat was definitely not winning any pity points from this assassin.

"Maggot?" Gojyo nearly laughed. For some reason instant death was funny again. Sanzo could do that to the concept no matter what sate of mind he was in for some reason, the bastard. "That's a new one, should memorize it."

"Gojyo, not the time." Hakkai spoke softly. This was not a time to be teasing Goku, or Sanzo for that matter. Hakkai made a sprint when Sanzo stopped being a stationary shooter and gave chase. There was something very off about his gun. He dodged another round of three shots and made a roll to come up behind Sanzo. Hakkai nearly smacked himself when he got a good look at Sanzo's gun. Well, that explained where the multiple fire shots were coming from. "Our friend here seems quite serious."

"Damn straight." Kouryuu smirked and dropped his chest down to raise his back leg for a rolling kick. As his heel impacted with Monocle-boy's left ear he grinned and dropped his weight to clear open a shot at the man's chest. He missed. "Shit."

"I think that should be my line." Hakkai chuckled nervously from his position a few feet away. He was suddenly very thankful for demon reflexes as he calmed his breath. Adrenaline was not a friend when trying to take your opponent out alive. Hakkai swung his arm out in an attempt to backhand the man, but he dodged easily. Well, if he could lay a hit at all he'd have trouble taking him in alive. The frustration itself was making him want to just give in and chi blast Sanzo into a tree. It had worked well on Chin Yisou.

"Don't worry fellas, I won't miss next time." Kouryuu smirked and held his gun out in front of him. He pressed a switch on the side and the three watched as the magazine dropped to the ground. Kouryuu had a new magazine clipped into place before they fully registered what had happened.

Goku blinked. Sanzo just reloaded his gun in basically two clicks. A few moments later it clicked in his own brain and Goku pointed an accusing finger. "That's not a revolver!"

"No wonder he had so many damned shots!" Gojyo shouted and joined in pointing fingers. "Not cool, man!"

Kouryuu and Hakkai shared expressions as they stared at the two morons. Hakkai was in disbelief the other two hadn't noticed Sanzo shooting many more than six shots in a row. Hakkai looked at him out of the corner of his eye and noticed Sanzo was shaking for some odd reason. At least the fight had taken a break for a moment. Sanzo was better at this than he was before, either that or the man had always been holding back his true talents. Hakkai wasn't sure he knew which one he wished it was.

"A revolver?" Kouryuu couldn't hold it anymore and burst out loud laughing. His sides were hurting so hard he had to hold them as he fell to his knees. He barely made out the next sentence through the gasping breaths. "You two, thought I was using a revolver?"

It was really weird watching Sanzo laugh so heartily. Gojyo had at one point thought this to be one of those signs of the apocalypse or something. However, Sanzo was laughing at him and that just pissed Gojyo off enough to ignore the abnormal behavior. "Oh shut it! Sanzo uses a Smith and Wesson revolver! Give us a break!"

"Yeah!" Goku chimed in just for the heck of it. The fight had stopped and all of his energy was still ready to give way.

Kouryuu controlled his breathing a bit and stood up. Nuzzling the gun's barrel with his cheek, he grinned. "I wouldn't be caught dead with a piece of shit like that. Your Sanzo's a moron. This baby here is a Colt Automatic, custom just for me."

Hakkai had taken this brief opportunity to inch closer to Sanzo. If he could just get a hit to the back of the neck they could get somewhere. He hoped Gojyo and Goku picked up on what he was doing so they could continue to distract accordingly.

Kouryuu watched as the red head and the kid tensed slightly. He let out a sigh as he ducked the hit headed for his spinal cord. He should have guessed the smart one was going to try something while they took a tiny break. "Nice try buddy, but too slow."

Hakkai felt the blood pooling in his mouth as the fist tightened under his ribcage. Demon abilities or not, he didn't even catch a flinch from Sanzo to hint he'd ram a fist into his gut. Those reflexes were inhuman, and Hakkai inwardly feared for the worst. A bit of blood dribbled down his chin as he breathed out a required retort. "Quite a shot, for a human."

"What'd you expect?" Kouryuu pushed on his fist to send the freak flat on his back. There was a satisfaction in towering over someone that really hit the spot. Kouryuu kicked the demon in the side and smirked when it groaned. "You really think they're going to send a normal human after a group that kills hoards of demons on a near daily basis? How stupid do you think that we are?"

"He took out Hakkai in one hit." Gojyo made sure his scythe was tight in hand. Suddenly this fight wasn't so funny anymore. "Shit."

"You should save the expletives for when you really need them." Kouryuu smiled before breaking into a run and leaving the other man where he landed. Taking out the half-breed shouldn't be too much of a problem. That in mind, Kouryuu took a jump to ready a swift kick for the pretty boy's pretty face.

Gojyo blocked with his weapon when he found a knee headed directly for his head. He growled as he twisted to avoid the immediate punches and kicks that followed, but he couldn't seem to get a counter hit on the bastard blonde. Gojyo was trying to remember any of Sanzo's fighting skills from before, but there was something really different about his fighting now. Gojyo swung his chain out and caught the man by his gun arm by what he'd now consider a stroke of luck. He was too used to gun shots to wince when the shot misfired into the air by the jolt.

"Hold him there, Gojyo!" Goku shouted as he came up from behind. It was creepy how Sanzo's movements were working. The way he twisted his body, or moved in general was so very familiar, yet the fighting style itself was a whole new ballgame. Goku raised his Niyoh-boh and swung hard to give a good solid strike to Sanzo's back. He wanted this fight over, now, before he lost his nerve and ability to fight back.

"What the hell?" Gojyo's eyes widened about two notches as he watched Goku's staff be blocked by Sanzo's forearm. The punk barely winced from the direct blow, just moved about an inch from the force. Gojyo swallowed. That same hit had once broken Kougaiji's arm, and now Sanzo could block it that easily? The distraction also had allowed Sanzo to yank his arm over Goku's staff and pull back hard enough to send the monkey crashing into Gojyo's gut. As if it hadn't had enough punishment in the past few weeks.

Kouryuu tilted his head as he watched the red-head moan and carefully unwind the chain from his arm. Well, that was two out for the count. The last little brat was back on his feet and trying not to be too obvious as he checked if his friend was alright. The blonde rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. This last round was what he was really waiting for, anyway. One-on-one fights were so much more satisfying than massacring whole groups.

"How'd he block the Niyoh-boh?" Goku muttered to himself as he saw his master standing there so calmly. There was only the slightest bruise forming from the strike, but otherwise he looked right as rain.

"I thought I already told you I wasn't normal." The boy looked shocked that Kouryuu had even heard his little private questions. Kouryuu laughed and raised his arm for a flex. "This body was built for taking out punks like you."

"What?"

"I don't even think it's worth explaining, maggot." Kouryuu closed in for the first strike, but the boy dodged just as quickly.

The next few moments went by like a flash as they fought. A kick here, a hit there, a bruise, a coarse word or comment flew in a conundrum of motion. Goku could feel all of the dissatisfaction of the past two weeks poured out into this fight, and Sanzo fought back eagerly it seemed. However, seeing those violet eyes so full of hate directed at him again, and the mocking nature that lined them at the edges caused Goku to get a little sloppy. The boy wasn't able to block the gun butt that rammed him in the eye and sent him flying to the ground.

Kouryuu pointed his gun towards the boy's head. It was time for this fight to be over. "Now, give me the scripture."

"Not a chance." Goku growled and fought the irritation he was feeling at his situation. This was Sanzo he was fighting. Not some stupid demon, or a creepy guy in a dress, or even Kougaiji and the others. This was Sanzo demanding something that belonged to him in the first place, and Goku was keeping it from him. The tiny part of his brain that argued this monster couldn't possibly be his Sanzo was smashed by the one that refused to admit Sanzo could be dead to them for good. "There's no way I'd give it to you!"

"Fine. Then shut up and die."

"I think not!"

"What?" Kouryuu felt the explosion of heat slam into him from in the rear and cursed. As his back arched and the force from the chii blast sent him bowed head first into the dirt, Kouryuu cursed his own sloppiness. He should have killed the other two bastards when he had the chance. For the life of him, Kouryuu couldn't figure out why he hadn't. Pushing himself up slightly he was met with an metal poke hitting him in the chest.

"Hakkai! Gojyo!" Goku shouted as he rushed over to where Sanzo had fallen. Goku had to stop however when a new rain of bullets headed towards his face.

"Oh, sorry." Kouryuu frowned and fingered the mark that damn water sprite had left on his person. He had to figure out where that extra force had come from. They weren't this strong before. "Forgot about you two for a minute."

"It's hard to keep us down, as I'm sure you should have learned from your comrades." Hakkai smiled sweetly as he readied another chii ball. He couldn't have asked for a better shot at his blonde friend and he took advantage of it. Hakkai wanted this over with and Sanzo unconscious. It was amazing what a little motivation could do for your spirits.

A chain whipped past his head and ripped across his shoulder before Kouryuu felt the pain streak the full length down his back. The burns from the chii had made his skin more tender than he had realized. The man knew when he had lost the advantage, and Kouryuu kept his face to the group as he backed up a few feet. He was sure that those other two losers had been down for the count, but here they stood ready and raring to go. There was something about this situation that Kouryuu was missing, and he didn't like it. This called for some time to think things over, and besides, he was late for an important appointment.

"Hey! He's making a run for it." Gojyo shouted as Sanzo made a dart for the opening between him and Hakkai. The man cursed as he tried to make his legs move from the initial shock of the dash. Goku was the first to get his feet moving, no surprise, and Gojyo was sure Hakkai was following along side him as he gave chase on his own. Gojyo held onto his side as he ran and watched the distance increase between him and the monkey. This really sucked.

Hakkai had to stop when Gojyo suddenly stopped moving. As important as it was to catch Sanzo, Gojyo needed help right now. "Are you alright."

"Sorry, think I broke a rip." Gojyo tried a smile. "But you can go after those other two, I'll be fine."

"I think, Hakkai started. "That if any of us can catch him, it would be Goku."

"This is so stupid."

"I can't help but agree." Hakkai mumbled as he looked ahead in the distance. Sanzo seemed to have broken away from the boy's run.

"Damn it!" Goku shouted as he chased the blonde. There was too much space between him and Sanzo. He needed to close it, and tackle the man. Then Hakkai could make him al better again and Goku could go back to be yelled at and being hit with that stupid fan. Sanzo sped up another notch and Goku increased his speed by two. There was no way in hell Sanzo was getting away from him again.

Kouryuu should have guessed they'd be persistent. He rolled his eyes as he reached for a small slot on the back of his belt. Pulling out a few marbles he snuck out of Yaone's lab from earlier he counted. Two should be able to do the trick, if he remembered correctly, that sweet little number packed quite a punch in these things. Kouryuu turned mid-run and tossed the little trinkets straight into the monkey's face.

Goku coughed like mad after the little spheres had exploded. The blast had forced him to stop running and landed him straight in the mud. Goku stood up as quickly as he could, cursing the wet patch of ground he had stumbled into as he went. When the smoke had cleared there was no sign, nor scent lingering of Sanzo to be found. Goku fell to his knees and screamed until his voice shattered.

Hakkai and Gojyo could only watch as the two hobbled up from behind.

"Back so soon?" Dr. Nii swiveled in his chair to see the young man walk through the door. The boy had clearly taken the time for a shower and to change into a bit more casual set of clothing. Nii briefly recognized the khakis for a pair in his closet. Nii would reprimand the boy for going through his drawers later, for now there were more important issues to be discussed. He tapped his monitor and watched the boy through the glare on his glasses. "I told you to take care of them."

"I will. Just not now, I underestimated them so I'll get them the next time." It was sort of a lie, but he was sure his dad couldn't tell. The blonde wasn't quite sure what made him run away from those three, but it couldn't have been because he was too weak to take them. No, it was something else. Kouryuu cleared his thoughts though when he was sure it might start showing on his face and walked over towards his mother. He gave her a peck on the cheek before smiling. Mom was always great for a change in subject. "Hey, Mom. Dad hasn't been too much of a bastard since I've been gone, has he?"

Hwang laughed and tried to keep the bitter edge off of it. "Nope, he's just been his usual aggravating self."

"Should have guessed." Kouryuu pat his favorite brunette on the shoulder twice before reaching over her to grab an apple from a fruit dish.

Nii leaned his head back to watch the ceiling as the boy chewed on an apple bite. He had almost forgotten what it was like to have kids around. "It's no fair when you two double team me like that."

"I blame you for bad parenting. You never taught me how to respect." Kouryuu smirked around another bite of the fruit. Leaning down he poked the screen Mom was staring at with an index finger. "This doesn't look done."

"It's not, I've still got another thirty lines of code to debug." Hwang sighed. Dr. Nii was deciding to give the appearance he was working on the Gyumaoh revival again to appease their Lady. In actuality, it meant he doubled the work of his assistants and installed a new monitor to watch the progress of his latest little toy.

"How long 'til you're done?" Kouryuu nearly pouted and crossed his arms. "You said you'd let me take you out to dinner today."

Hwang controlled her urge to twitch. Playing 'mommy' was a total pain in her ass. She peaked up at the man leaning over her shoulder waiting for her answer. Blonde hair, purple eyes, and a gorgeous build. Maybe dinner wouldn't be too much of a burden. He was better to look at than the stubble covered man in the corner. "Another ten minutes, at most."

"Good." Kouryuu smiled and looked down at the empty apple core in his hand. He set it down in a trash bin and pulled his arms up over his head for a deep stretch.

"If you keep that up I'm going to get jealous." Nii chuckled. "Keeping dear Dr. Hwang away, so cruel. I guess my little honey bunny is my only company after all."

"That rabbit is seriously creepy, Dad." Kouryuu frowned as his father petting the stuffed bunny. Something about it just sent a chill down his spine.

Nii stood up from his seat. "So you've told me."

"Well, it is." Kouryuu avoided looking at the thing as his Dad walked over. He felt a strong grip land on his shoulder and he was forced to look his father in the eyes. Kouryuu told himself he wasn't scared.

"In any case, let's make sure that we do the job right the next time you go out." Nii released his grip slightly and turned it into a quick back pat. Kouryuu didn't answer him, but he took the silence as acceptance after seeing the determined look that developed on his face. Little Kouryuu would do anything for his dear daddy when it came down to it. And that's all that mattered. "And next time, kill them."