Sorry this chapter is so short, and so very late. It's so close to the end that writer's block has smacked me into the face. sigh On the bright side, I made myself feel better and added in some cute Hwang x Nii moments. Yay! And now that this chapter is posted, I can work on the tag fic, which is also late. Heh. Thanks fo reading and reviewing and I hope you hang around for the last few chapters!

Chapter 16: Not an Option

"Spying on your little brat again?" Wang chuckled as he leant over the doctor's shoulder. "You'd think you didn't trust him or something."

"That so?" Nii smiled as he crossed his hands under his chin. Kouryuu was currently on route to confront his friends. Though, the little bout the rest of the Sanzo party was having with Lirin was fairly entertaining in its own right. The excitement of the meeting of his boy with the others was more than enough to keep Nii glued to his chair.

"Then what else would it be?"

"I just think it's entertaining to watch."

"Ah, well watching is a fun hobby."

"An old man like you would know, ne?" Nii chuckled.

"I'm not that old." Wang rubbed the back of his balding head. Maybe it wasn't quite the truth, but it's not like Nii was all that honest either. "But I won't deny being a spectator at heart."

"Then be sure to stick around and watch the show." Nii watched the old man from the corner of his eye. "I'll be sure to make it good."

"Now, let me get this straight." Gojyo blew out a small stream of smoke from the side of his mouth. "You've been playing with Sanzo all week?"

"Well, if this Kouryuu guy really is baldy Sanzo, than yes." Lirin sighed and tapped the tiny teacup that was in front of her. Hakkai had made her some cocoa but she wasn't exactly up for drinking it right now. Things had been tense in the room ever since they arrived and it was making her agitated. "Though I'm still having a hard time believing they're the same person. He's totally different. The only thing they've got in common is looks. And maybe his voice, only it sounds happier, lighter maybe?"

"That is interesting. I can believe that he does seem quite different, but we're quite certain that he is indeed our Sanzo." Hakkai leaned forward at the table and considered refilling his own cup of tea. Gojyo was smoking like an industrial tower again and Goku was fuming in a corner on the floor. The smoke coming from his ears was competing with Gojyo's Hi-Lites. Hakkai was fairly certain the boy was just waiting for any excuse to explode on everyone. That never bode well when attempting to entertain company. Hakkai held in the sigh that was begging to break free. "It seems he was kidnapped from us by a Dr. Nii? Could you maybe elaborate on that?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to tell you stuff about that." Lirin huffed. Sometimes it really sucked to be friends with your enemies. She sort of wanted to help them out, but there was no way she could betray her big brother! Her mom, sure no problem. But not Kougaiji. "Maybe I can help a little though. Kouryuu said that creepy doctor Nii is his daddy and something about that high strung lady who's always chasin' me around being his mommy."

"Well, that complicates things, doesn't it." Gojyo sighed. So not only was he brainwashed, but they were going to deal with family issues. That pretty much guaranteed things were going to get ugly. Gojyo shoved his cigarette butt into the empty can of beer sitting in front of him and listened to the 'plunk' as it hit those remaining few drops in the bottom. He was getting a nasty feeling about this whole escapade. "Daddy" huh? Talk about Ginkaku and Kinkaku all over again. "But are you sure you can't tell us anything else? Like a faster way to get to that darn castle."

"I already told you that I can't! My big brother would totally get mad at me for something like that!"

"We understand, Lirin. I am thankful for what you have told us so far though. Is there perhaps a way though you could convince your brother to see us, then?" Hakkai smiled softly at the younger girl. "He would probably be the best person to ask for help and more appropriate for permission to receive information."

"Maybe, but I doubt if he'll help." Lirin drew her brows together and hummed slightly. After a moment of thinking she started to giggle slightly. "But then again, he doesn't seem to happy to have Kouryuu around the castle anyway. Big Brother's always yelling at him and losing his temper. He might just help you get rid of him."

"Hey, that's a good point." Gojyo smiled a little. "I'm also getting the feeling Prince boy doesn't like ol' Nii too much either."

"Yes, so it might be the best option to wait and talk to him. I'm sure that we can come to an understanding." Hakkai nodded in agreement. "Lirin, thank-you very much. Would it be too much to ask to tell your brother we'd like to see him?"

"Yeah! I can tell him that!"

Goku growled under his breath as the others chatted oh so casually and happily. This was so stupid! They had a way to find Sanzo and they weren't doing anything! Lirin had a dragon and knew the way to Houtou Castle. They were stronger and could easily force her to take them there, but no. Hakkai had just served her tea for goodness sake. And this little monkey king had finally had enough. His knuckles were turning white from the grip on his knees. "This is such bullshit!"

Hakkai turned his head back towards to the youngest of their group at the sudden shout. He had a feeling things had just turned for the worst. Well, it's not as if he wasn't expecting it. "Goku? Are you alright?"

"What is wrong with you guys, Hakkai?" Goku shoved himself off of the creaking wooden floor to point maliciously at Lirin. It was too hot in the room. "Why are you just calmly accepting this! If she won't tell us, than we should just force her too!"

"Hey, chill out, monkey." Gojyo stood up slowly. Just in case. 'Twas never a good idea to move quickly around rabid animals, ya' know. "The little lady can't talk about it, you should know that. We're not exactly on the same side, you know? Give her a break."

"That's not the point!" Goku screamed and let his frustration out on the table. Dishes and glass flew everywhere as the table hit the floor. Little pieces of shattered wood knocked up against his cheeks from the force, but Goku really couldn't care. He could taste the tiny stream of blood in his mouth and licked it away. "This might be our only chance to help him and you're just sitting there!"

"What's wrong with Goku?" Lirin asked quietly. She swallowed a little and looked out the corner of her eyes at the other two in the room. Both Hakkai and Gojyo were looking tense and Goku was looking all scary again. That couldn't be good. "Why is he acting this way?"

"He's stressed, kid." Gojyo sighed and slowly reached for his Hi-Lites. He needed another stick already. "Give him a break."

"It's not stress, you stupid water sprite! I'm pissed off!"

"That's quite enough, Goku."

Goku's breath was heavy, but he turned to Hakkai none the less. "It's not enough. This isn't good enough."

"I understand that you're worried for Sanzo, but breaking the table and hurting your friends will not get him back any faster." Hakkai kept his voice level even though his own temper was rising slowly. He had almost had enough of this childish behavior from their youngest member.

"You clearly don't understand anything at all if you're just going to let her leave without any information!" Goku's voice was shuddering by the emotions lacing them and the sheer force behind it. It was if he wanted to cry but just couldn't find the effort. "It's like you don't care about it all!"

"That's not true!" Hakkai slapped Goku across the face. "If you think that you're the only one who's concerned for Sanzo than you're sorely mistaken. And I've had enough of these childish tantrums."

Goku was quiet and his brain was still trying to register the pain that was stirring in his cheek. Hakkai had hit him. He had really hit him. "Hakkai."

"Now that you've calmed down a little, I suggest you think about your actions." Hakkai reached down to set a chair upright again after it had fallen from the impact of the shattered table. Brushing a few pieces of scrap off of the seat he straightened. "Now sit down and I don't want to hear another word. Is that clear?"

"Hakkai's scary when he wants to be, isn't he?" Lirin questioned Dokugakuji's little brother. She made sure to keep her voice as quiet as possible, lest he hear and turn his attention away from the monkey.

"Yeah, he's not someone you want to be on their bad side. That's for sure." Gojyo would have added a slight snicker to the end of the sentence, but he felt it was inappropriate for the time. He didn't want to attract angry mommy Hakkai's attention any more than the little lady.

"Wonder if Yaone knows."

"Huh? Why would she care?"

"Yaone!"

"What is it Dokugaku?" Yaone called from across the sky on her dragon to her friend in arms. "Something the matter?"

"I'm getting a feeling we should land now!"

"Why?" It was Kougaiji to answer this time. He turned back to his two friends. They had been looking for Lirin in areas the Sanzo party had last been seen for some time now, but there was still no sign of the girl. What was worse, there didn't seem to be any sign of Sanzo, Kouryuu, whatever, at the castle either. So help him if he found that blonde bastard and Lirin together. "What's up?"

Dokugakuji scratched his hair a little. "I'm getting a bad feeling about something. Call it my gut."

"I can't see what would get us up here right now, save for weather. It looks clear to me, my friend."

"I'm tellin' ya, Kou. It's going to get bad. I can feel it." Dokugakuji tightened his grip on his reigns. "It's gonna' storm, really pour. I'm sure of it."

"Are you sure, Dokugaku?" Yaone questioned. The sky really did look clear. It was rather pleasant actually. "I'm not feeling anything."

Dokugakuji growled a little. "I'm not lyin' and I'm not just saying it! We should land and look for Lirin on the ground so we can take cover easier!"

Kougaiji considered his ranting swordsman for a bit before considering his options. Dokugakuji wouldn't be so persistent if it was just a worry in his head. "Alright, let's take them down and land over there in those trees. And Dokugaku, you'd best be right."

"Thanks, Kou." Dokugakuji almost hoped that he was wrong.

"Well isn't this convenient." Kouryuu laughed a little as he leaned on the doorframe to the small kitchen. Looks like the tip off from that guy on the street corner paid off. It was so nice when civilians paid attention to their surroundings and the odd folks who pass through town. "All my favorite enemies in one place, how about that?"

"Kouryuu!" Lirin did a tiny jump as she ran towards her favorite blonde. This was some great timing! Now she wouldn't have to bother Kougaiji about this whole mess. He was busy enough as it is already. "They said that you're badly Sanzo. Is that true?"

"Lirin? What are you doing here, sweetie?" Kouryuu's attentions were momentarily distracted from the others as he registered the princess' presence. He'd have to find out about her question later, but for now he needed to get her out before things got ugly around the inn. "Does your brother know you're out here?"

"No, of course not! That defeats the purpose of sneaking out in the first place."

"Ah, well I'm sure he's worried." Kouryuu laughed lightly and put a hand on her head. He applied a little pressure to let her know he was being serious. "Why don't you run along home while Uncle Kouryuu deals with these losers, okay?"

"Huh? What are you talking about? Why can't I stay?"

Kouryuu could have sworn that Lirin's eyes had grown about three sizes while asking that question. As a man, he would not cave to the puppy eyes. "I need to work now, and can't play with you right now."

"So you're saying I'd be in the way?"

"No! No, that's not it." The blonde waved his arms back and forth in front of his body. Those darn eyes were winning, gosh darn it! "You're not in the way at all, I just think it'd be best if you went home before folks start to worry."

"Liar!" Lirin huffed. "Now what's this about them calling you Sanzo!"

"I'm not sure about that myself. I think they're just a little crazy." Kouryuu laughed a little, but made sure to keep his eyes on the others in the room. He needed to get Lirin out of the room so she wouldn't have to watch. Kouryuu hoped those other three had enough sense to wait before they started fighting. "Now come on sweetie, you really should go before your big brother worries any more than he already is."

"He always worries!"

"Even better a reason…"

"Hey, Hakkai." Gojyo whispered as he walked up next to his friend. "Are you seein' what I'm seeing?"

"Sanzo and Lirin having a playful argument over her stay here?" Hakkai tilted his head to the side as the banter between the red head and the blonde continued. "Than, yes."

"Just checking. What do you think we should do about it?"

Hakkai hummed to himself. "I think we should knock him over the head, tie him up, and feed him alcohol until his brain dissolves back to normal."

"Sounds like a party."

"Though, I do agree with is current argument that Lirin should leave first." Hakkai smiled a bit and started gathering a chii ball behind his hand.

"So, moment the little lady leaves, we go?" Gojyo grinned.

"Correct."

Goku was in disbelief at the scene in front of him. Sanzo was arguin' with Lirin in the doorway and no one was doing anything. Hakkai and Gojyo were just standing there smiling like nothing bad was going on! It was like they thought it was cute or something. This was the perfect opportunity to get Sanzo back or at least to hit him over the head so he couldn't run away again. The boy's hands began to twitch as he groped at the air trying to figure out what to do. Goku decided then it might be time to take things into his own hands.

"What's got you in such a bad mood?" Dr. Hwang asked as she rounded the table. Her lab coat swished around her legs. "You look like someone drowned your rabbit."

"Who are you and what have you down with my wife? My wife-ie pooh would never be so considerate of my feelings."

"Very funny, now what's with the look?"

"I don't think that boy is coming back."

"What makes you say that?" The woman leaned down over his shoulder to watch the little monitor blink rapidly as the picture changed and loaded. They really needed to budget for some better working screens. However, it was clear enough that she could see the blonde hanging out peacefully with Lirin and the others. "I see what you mean. Though he's still got time to kill them. He does like to fool around a bit before he gets serious."

"It's that little one there, that worries me." Nii tapped the Goku boy smack in the middle of his diadem on the screen. The young boy's arms were flailing as he shouted at his companions. Nii decided if there was a next time to invest in headphones so he could actually turn on the audio. Such a pain hiding true motives and conversations from one's workmatse. "He's a wildcard in my predictions."

"Hmph, like you don't have counter plans for such a thing." Hwang leaned against the desk on the side. With such a serious look on his face, the odd doctor almost seemed tolerable.

Nii smiled slowly. "Well, I won't deny that I have a back-up plan for just such an occasion. But I'd rather not use it, if possible."

Hwang pushed her glasses back up on her face. "Must be something if even you won't sink to that level to use it."

"It's not so much an issue of that, per say. It involves other, sacrifices, to be effective." Nii chuckled darkly. "Though, the outcome might just be worth it. Yes. It just might be worth it."

"That so."

"Did you do the paperwork I asked you for?"

Hwang pulled a small folder out from under her arm and brushed a bit of non-existent dust off of the top. She ignored the sudden change in topic to finally to get some work done. "Of course."

Nii leaned back to look at the papers that he leafed out from the manila folder. It seems his stats on his latest experiment were looking far better than expected. Numbers were looking good, and Hwang calculated them to a point where she could probably pull off the resurrection on her own if he gave her a little push in the right direction. Well, if Old Man Wang backed her up, she might be able to. Or if she ever developed her natural spirit abilities in order to put the scriptures to use. Nii smiled. It was always nice when things went the way that he wanted them to go.

"That looks like it hurt."

"Hmm?" Nii looked up from his papers to look at Ms. Hwang's profile as she stared vividly at his monitoring screen. She grimaced again and his eyes finally wandered down to the moving pictures himself. "Oh, I missed the start of the fight. You should have told me."

"Sorry, you looked preoccupied." Hwang's voice was distant as she watched that younger boy jump Kouryuu. He was really pounding into the man.

Nii watched carefully as Kouryuu made sure to keep the little Princess behind him and away from the attacking demon. That could be good considering he didn't need Kougaiji causing trouble because his sister was hurt, but it also meant Kouryuu's attentions were split. That was no good when fighting enemies that strong.

"Oh, the other two joined in." Hwang hummed. She hadn't spent much time in the day monitoring Nii's bugs herself, but this was rather interesting. She grimaced a little when her 'son' was thrown through a wall. "They're not holding back are they?"

Nii sighed softly to himself before reaching over to finger the ear of his rabbit. It seemed Kouryuu was going to lose. Even if it was impossible for them to get his mind back, they could still turn him at this rate if he lost the fight. Such a shame. He really was such a good boy. The perfect tool.

The good doctor's attentions were taken when she noticed her companion stand and tap the counter. Hwang watched him turn and walk towards the exit before she found her voice again. "Where are you going?"

"Out." As an after thought, Nii paused. He couldn't make things too easy for the team of adventurers, now could he? "Could you do me a favor, dear wife of mine?"

"That depends. Is it work related?" Hwang huffed as the man took a few steps back towards her and braced his arms on either side of her. She was pinned and could feel her breath raising a few notches. He had done it so slowly, but she couldn't find herself able to move.

"Be a good girl and baby sit my little bunny for me." Nii cocked his head and smiled as he leaned closer. Their noses were pressing and she was warm. "Take very good care of him, as he's very special."

With him so close, and voice so somber – Hwang could do nothing but nod slowly and agree. She could feel him shove the rabbit in between his arm and her hip slowly. Once it was nestled tightly, he did something near unforgivable.

The kiss was long and deep, but somehow still only lasted for a moment's time. How could this man master contradictions and bring them into life so well? Hwang could barely breath.

"Thank-you, and it shall always be a pleasure." Nii smiled and turned away from the shocked woman. "Bye-bye!"

Hwang slowly moved the rabbit from her side into her arms and squeezed. Something was very wrong. Wrong with Nii, wrong with the world, wrong with her, wrong with this whole damn planet – it didn't matter. Hwang just felt cold. And that's all that she knew.