-----10-----

"You know, this sitting room is starting to get awfully crowded," Gojyo grumbled, managing to grab a chair as the group assembled in the common room. The three members of the Sanzo party were utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally. However, the prospect of Yaone's findings were sure to lighten the mood just a bit.

"Can it, you stupid kappa. There are more important things to worry about, so put that pathetic excuse for a brain to use for once," Sanzo sniped right back, obviously still seething over the afternoon's events. Gojyo wisely chose to say nothing in reply, letting out a soft sigh as they all turned their attention onto the youkai woman.

Yaone cleared her throat, flushing a bit under the strain of their combined stares. She wasn't at all used to being put on the spotlight like this. "Well, the good news is that I found traces of a rather strong sedative throughout your collective rooms. It was amazingly potent, and it's found naturally in wooded areas," she explained patiently, moving her gaze from one face to the next as she paused.

"So you are saying that it might be best to look for Goku in a more secluded area, correct?" Hakkai asked, wondering why in the world they hadn't thought of that in the first place. This Hanna woman was certainly turning out to be a more formidable foe than they had first anticipated.

The woman nodded once before continuing. "I would think. I have to say that this was a rather well thought out plan…the woman is either a genius or completely mad."

"Wait a minute…you said that was the good news…what's the bad news?" Gojyo asked curiously, cocking his head to the side. As the expression on the woman's face changed to that of mild disappointment, the crimson-haired man felt the pit of his stomach drop out. "We're not going to like this, are we?"

"No, I rather think not. While the sedative was rather easy to trace, the substance in the meat buns is proving to be more of challenge. It is like nothing I have ever seen, to be completely honest," she admitted, looking away when she noted the drop in the mood around her. She felt horrible about it, even though she knew there was nothing else she could do. "I'm sorry…perhaps if I'm given a little bit more time, I could figure it out, but I could not ask that of you."

Sanzo grunted audibly, scowling harder than usual. Every time it seemed that they were getting close to figuring out what happened to Goku, suddenly another road block appeared; it was beginning to really piss him off. "Well, it doesn't seem like we have much of a choice, now do we?"

"On the contrary…" a voice interrupted, startling all those present into looking at the familiar face in the doorway. Kougaiji strode in confidently, smirking just a bit when he noted the surprise on the faces of those around him.

"We found something out! That dumb ol' doctor let it slip that he was-" Lirin started to say excitedly, until her older brother's quick hand covered her mouth and reduced her words to mere mumbling.

"What Lirin is trying to say is that now we know what's going on. And trust me, you aren't going to like it," Kougaiji supplied for her, uncovering her mouth when he was finished speaking. A mild glare kept her quiet, even though Lirin's expression clearly stated that she was not happy about being shushed.

Gojyo waved his hand dismissively, tossing his head as he winked at the demon prince. "Go ahead and spill it, red. Can't be any worse than anything else we've heard all day," he said vaguely, earning himself a questioning look from the other redhead.

Hakkai shook his head in mild amusement, taking it upon himself to explain. "What Gojyo is trying to say is that it can't be any worse than meeting Goku today and letting him slip by us completely," he replied sadly, trying his best to smile at the others. An audible gasp from Yaone, to the shocked expressions that Kougaiji and Dokugakuji were wearing, to the slack-jawed stupor of Lirin's face was enough to annoy even the patient man enough to cause his former mood to dissipate.

"And before you go accusing us of anything, maybe we ought to note that the monkey had no fucking idea who we were," Gojyo added irritably, not much caring for the accusing stare from the demon prince that was trained on the three of them. "Not to mention that the lunatic lady decided to draw a crowd for a clean get away."

"Now, if you have something to say, then say it. This whole business has gone on entirely too fucking long," Sanzo said finally, training intense violet eyes on cool indigo as his expression demanded results. The priest was not as patient as his comrades, especially not with the sting of being forgotten by his charge nagging him in the back of his mind. Of course, he knew the monkey would never forget him on his own, which served to keep the priest's blood boiling.

Kougaiji sighed as well, deciding it was now or never. "We overheard a conversation between the doctor that works for my mother and his assistant. Basically, the doctor set this all up as an experiment for a new drug he was working on," he started to explain flatly, trying his best not to show his own emotions that threatened to betray him. They were supposed to be enemies, but this whole mess was beginning to make him think twice about that particular fact.

"And this drug would be?"

With another sigh, he continued as he braced himself for the worst. "It's a memory replacement drug. Apparently, Nii, the doctor, sent the demons to kill Hanna's husband and her son, knowing that this village was in your direct path to India. Knowing this, he used this as an opportunity to test it. Whether he was truly trying to defeat you using this or this was just another sick fancy of his, I don't know," Kougaiji finished, daring to look out into the faces of his listeners.

"So why didn't you just use this as a chance to get rid of us once and for all? This would have been the perfect chance," the blonde practically snarled, angrier now than he could ever remember being. Was this the demon prince's idea all along, and was this just another trap they had fallen into?

Sensing the violent shift in the priest's mood, as well as the dark looks coming from his companions, Kougaiji was quick to answer. "I can't answer that, but I can say this: none of us had anything to do with this, other than the services we are offering now. Trust me, I do not want this man meddling in our lives any more than he already has," he admitted honestly, because truthfully he could not give them a solid reason. He had already thought on the idea, but again it made him sick just thinking about it.

"I guess we can accept that…so what do we do now?" Gojyo asked, looking at the faces of all the other members of their combined party. It seemed that the stakes had just been upped that much higher, and the gambler in him saw this as a once in a lifetime chance.

Hakkai shrugged a bit, looking to Kougaiji as he asked, "Did he say anything about an antidote of sorts?"

The demon prince thought for a second, suddenly remembering the answer to the question. "No, but the assistant said something about dosages. I'm sure we can assume that if he is no longer administered the drug, the effects will wear off and he will regain his memory."

"That's good, I guess. So, Sanzo…what shall we do?" the green-eyed man asked softly, looking to the blonde for a final decision. He knew what he wanted to do, but with how unpredictable Sanzo's actions had been as of late, he was sure it would be best to let the priest decide.

"We're going out to look for Goku tomorrow. I don't care if we have to burn the whole fucking forest down, we're going to find him," he said determinedly, casting that intense violet gaze on the demon prince. "It's up to you whether you want to help or not. I don't care one way or another."

To the surprise of everyone except the priest, Kougaiji shook his head. "I think we've done enough. It's time for us to part ways until we meet again. Good luck in finding the monkey," was all he said, motioning for the members of his own group to follow him. Without giving the Sanzo party any time to answer, they soon disappeared from the room and were on their way.

"Well, I guess we'd better be off to bed. We should get an early start if we're going to comb through the entirety of the landscape," Hakkai suggested mildly, hiding his disappointment at their sudden departure behind his smile. The other two simply nodded, heading off into their respective rooms to wait for the coming morning.

-----

As Kougaiji and the others were flying off, a sudden thought occurred to Yaone as she clutched at the demon prince's waist. "Lord Kougaiji…if I may be so bold as to say…you really have no intention of fighting them for the scripture right away, do you?"

A small smirk rested on the prince's lips as he remained quiet, giving the others a chance to wonder exactly what the answer to that particular question could possibly be. Yaone briefly nodded, with Dokugakuji and Lirin each chuckling softly as they continued on back to the castle.