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Hanna's heart was thumping wildly in her chest as she dragged the boy away, far away from the village and its current occupants. That had been entirely too close, noticing the way that the boy had been reacting to the priest and realizing just how close she had come to losing everything that she had worked so hard for.
"M-Mama…please…y-you're hurting m-me," the boy stammered, panic-stricken and even more bewildered than he was before. His head was throbbing so hard that he was amazed he could even stand, and her pulling him around so carelessly was certainly not helping.
"I'm sorry, baby. I was just scared. Those men are very bad men, Malachai. You are never, ever to go near them again, do you understand? Those men kill people and steal little children away from their parents to do awful things to them," she soothed as they stopped, caressing his cheek as she stared into his eyes. Please, please let him not remember…make him forget, she silently prayed, trying to calm herself as well.
Somehow, her words did not reach quite where she expected, as he didn't believe her. Naturally, he nodded obediently to please her, but the doubts that he had in the beginning were beginning to surface again. The green-eyed man didn't seem bad, and the redhead didn't look too dangerous. The priest, however…the mere thought of the man sent delicious chills up and down his back as he remembered that they almost kissed. "Of course, Mama," he replied after a moment, staring down at his feet to quell the sudden rush of blood to his cheeks. Those men were convinced they knew him, and they all seemed so very familiar.
"Good. How about we go home? I'm sure you're hungry," Hanna said softly, taking his hand and leading him back down the path to their house. The two fell into a companionable silence, with Malachai desperately trying to remember something, anything about those three men that he had met earlier. He dared not ask his mother how she would have known them, fearing the worst sort of reaction from the woman.
It wasn't long until they reached the little cottage, entering inside as Hanna began to make dinner once their shopping was put away. She waited until the boy had disappeared up the stairs before pulling out the now half-empty bottle that she kept in her apron pocket. Carefully measuring out twice as much as she had been putting into his portion, she dumped the pink liquid into the bowl of soup that she had ladled from the pot. She was careful not to pour in too much, not wanting him to forget everything, just what happened today. She stirred it quickly, studying the broth carefully to see if there were any traces left and letting out a pleased noise when she found none. "If this won't make you forget, nothing will," she murmured to herself, an ugly smirk twisting across her features.
"Did you say something, Mama?" a voice behind her asked, startling the dark expression from her face and surprising her to the point that she almost sent the soup flying. That would have not been good at all.
"Just talking to myself, sweetie. Now, why don't you sit down and eat like a good boy? It's miso soup with meat in it…just like you asked for," she said sweetly in reply, watching with twisted pleasure as the boy began to devour the soup with gusto. She hid her glee behind her spoon, careful not to let the boy see what was truly going on in her mind.
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"Kougaiji! When are we going back to visit baldie-head and the others?" Lirin asked impatiently, crossing her arms across her more than ample chest. She stared up at her older brother with a frown on her face, anxious to get out of the castle and get on with the promised battle.
The demon prince sighed, resting a hand atop her head in exasperation. So far they had been unable to find anything of any use, other than that Nii was taking several trips out of the castle of his own. "I don't know, Lirin. As soon as something comes up that we can use to help Goku, we'll go right over, okay?" he requested, smiling slightly at her as he ruffled her hair. She giggled, though her voice trailed off when the sound of approaching footsteps drew nearer and nearer.
"Good day, Your Highnesses. How are you this lovely afternoon?" the doctor asked, clutching his bunny doll underneath his arm as he tipped an imaginary hat in their direction. His usual smug smirk graced his mouth, even as his eyes danced with unknown glee.
"I would be much better if I didn't have to see you as often as I do," Kougaiji replied curtly, narrowing his eyes at the other man as he clutched his sister tightly to him. He hated this man enough as it was, but the mere thought that he meddled where he was most certainly not wanted made him even angrier. "What is it that you want?"
The other man shrugged nonchalantly, relighting his cigarette as he disregarded the redhead's tone completely. "Nothing in particular. Can't I inquire as to how my wonderful Lord is doing?" he asked rather sensually, causing both Kougaiji and Lirin to shudder. "And I cannot forget the darling princess. You seem to be in low spirits, Lady Lirin…care to tell the good doctor what's bothering you?"
Lirin clutched at Kougaiji's coat in an uncharacteristic show of bashfulness, though some of it could be contributed to the fact that this man scared her, even more so than her own mother. "There's nothing wrong with her that you could fix, Dr. Nii. I think it is time that you went on your way," the demon prince told him, his tone clearly indicating command.
"Of course, Your Highness. Happy trails," the man answered enigmatically, stuffing his hands in his pockets and trundling down the hallway toward his lab. The two of them watched him go before Kougaiji went to turn away, suddenly halted by his younger sibling tugging on his jacket.
"Do you think we should follow him? If we listen in on him and that creepy lady, maybe they'll say something about Goku!" Lirin exclaimed, her eyes widening to almost impossible diameters.
Kougaiji stared at her for a moment, gripping her by the shoulders after he considered her words. "Lirin, you're a genius! Let's go, and be sure to be quiet." He let go of her, taking her hand as they slowly and quietly made their way down the hall. They inched along the wall when they neared the door way of the lab, stopping just before the opening. The demon prince motioned to his sister to keep quiet, to which she silently nodded. Then, they waited.
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"So…did you continue collecting that data like I asked you to? This experiment is entirely too important to miss anything," Nii asked his assistant, swiveling around in his chair to face her as she reviewed her clipboard.
"Yes, I did. It would seem that she has been following your instruction to the T, until the incident with Sanzo and the others earlier today. It seems she doubled his dosage this evening. Why do you think she would do that?" Dr. Huang asked, staring intently at the doctor. She had become interested in this little experiment despite herself, wondering if this drug could be used as a suitable weapon to continue with the Gyumaoh experiment.
The doctor puffed his cigarette thoughtfully for a moment, before letting the smoke out in a steady stream. "It's simple, really. By doubling his dosage he will forget anything about seeing Sanzo and the others. He won't forget what she's told him so far, but will forget about encountering the priest today. So you see, in short she is erasing and reshaping his memory. She can attribute it to the fall she claimed that he took, saying that he had a momentary relapse," he explained methodically, watching in amusement as the woman furiously scribbled notes down onto her clipboard.
"Is this what you intended from the start? To separate the Sanzo party using this drug?" the assistant asked, cocking her head to the side as the man began to laugh rather uproariously as though she had said something funny. "What is so funny?" she asked after a moment, annoyed when he didn't answer her right away.
"Of course! Who do you think sent the demons to kill her husband and son? You truly do not understand the scope of things, do you? I suppose you wouldn't, after all. I had watched this woman and her behavior, giving me the chance to anticipate what she would do when presented with the situation. If there is one thing I am, my dear Huang, it is thorough with my experiments."
He turned to face the doorway, catching the faint sound of footsteps heading away. Another smug smirk crossed his features, prompting the woman to question him again. "What is it? Do you think someone heard what we were talking about?"
"But of course. However, this can only prove to be another interesting variable to an already interesting experiment. Let us sit back and enjoy the fireworks, shall we?"
(A/N-Nine chapters and going strong, Whew! Amazing. Anyway, if anyone doesn't like the way I'm portraying Nii, I'm sorry. I truly believe that he is the villain behind all of the Saiyuki plotline, so this story will be no exception. In regards to his thumb in the pie, all I can say is COME ON! The man is a genius, fooling with concepts that he should have no idea about. He has to know what is going on with Sanzo and the others, as well as Kougaiji and Co. in regards to the blonde priest. Well, that's my theory anyway. Until next chapter!)