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A deafening roar filled the air, the light slashed through by massive claws that shouldn't have existed on anything, much less a former human woman. The gnarled features were twisted in rage, letting out another inhuman howl to punctuate the emotion. Goku started, morbidly in awe of how unrecognizable the woman he had spent some time with had become.

"You will know my pain, Kenzo. You will know the anguish that you have caused me," the creature rumbled loudly, immediately turning on the blonde priest, barely missing the man by mere inches. Shoving Goku away and rolling to the left had been what saved his life.

"There you go with the names again. What is it with you?" Gojyo taunted, swinging his shakujo with deadly precision. She dodged, just barely, getting only a nick in the shoulder from the blade. The redhead frowned at that, jumping when a retaliatory blow came in his direction.

Hakkai appeared from the side and put up a shield, grunting with exertion. "Everyone, get under! And you, Gojyo…please do not taunt the insane and murderous anomaly we find ourselves up against. It's just tacky," he teased, trying to make light in such a dire situation. However, the incessant onslaught of blows against his ki was beginning to take its toll already, sinking to his knees with another grunt.

"Lower it on the count of three…when he does, you all jump away. Goku…I want you to stay out of sight. With your memories repressed, you may not be able to fight as well," Sanzo commanded, ignoring the surprise radiating from his other two companions. He was relieved that Goku merely nodded in turn, signaling Hakkai to get ready. "One, two…three!"

The four of them rolled safely out of the way as soon as the shield slammed down, angering the creature even further. She didn't appear pleased when her blows had proved fruitless, turning and striking out at the first warm body she came in contact with. Hakkai was thrown hard against a tree, knocking the wind out of him and sending a spray of blood shooting from his mouth. "She's…quite strong…isn't she?" he rasped out, clutching his side as he tried to stand.

Gojyo growled, whirling his blade around ferociously and smirking when he got the creature across the chest this time. However, all it did was catch her attention, barely getting the words, "Oh fuck," out of his mouth before being thrown heavily into Sanzo, who had been charging forward with his gun cocked. The two fell the ground gulping for air and desperately trying to disentangle themselves from the ungraceful heap they had fallen in.

"Enough of this," Sanzo spat, clasping his hands together and beginning to chant the familiar words of the sacred spell to activate the sutra. The holy relic came to life as it always did, shooting out and twining around the creature's wrists to hold her steady. The priest smirked smugly to himself, until the sound of paper ripping accompanied the pained howl that spilled from the grotesque lips. He watched in horror as the scripture tendrils fell limp, practically slithering back to his shoulders like a wounded animal. "Fucking hell," he griped, eyes widening when a heavy fist slammed into his gut. He hadn't even seen her coming, and he knew from the searing pain that she had damaged something.

Goku could only watch helplessly as his…friends, and his Sun, were attacked so ruthlessly. Ki blasts bounced off this way and that, Gojyo's blade being defected, and as the monk collapsed to the ground with bright red blood spilling from his mouth. An idea began to form in his head, even as he remembered the monk's warning, but…he couldn't very well let her kill them right in front of him. Stepping from his hiding spot in the undergrowth, he walked dutifully towards the enraged beast and called out, "Mama, please stop this. You don't really want to hurt them, do you? My Mama wouldn't do that," he tried, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

The creature paused in her strangulation of the green-eyed man, who cast a look mixed with relief and panic in his direction. "Goku, no!" he called out, again finding himself thrown heavily against another tree. This time, he did not get back up.

Goku swallowed hard, turning to look the beast in the eyes. They weren't the eyes he had grown accustomed to seeing, but instead the dark eyes of something that was too far gone. Only then, did he realize the mistake that he had made; that she could not be saved. He turned to run away, letting out a pained cry when heavy claws raked across his back like he were the paper of scripture. He fell to his knees, tears squeezing themselves from his eyes until a blow to the jaw sent him flying in the other direction.

"Hey, ugly! Over here!" Gojyo called out, leaning heavily on his staff and shifting weight from the leg that he was sure was broken. It may not have been the smartest of ideas, but he had to deflect her attention from the hapless boy. He grit his teeth together as he readied himself, swinging the chain around and praying that he wouldn't miss.

Unfortunately, the gods were not with him this day, as she sidestepped the shot and rammed her claws into his shoulder. He bit back a scream, feeling the muscles tearing as she dragged down his arm to his elbow. She was unnaturally fast, even for a youkai, which could only mean one thing. "What…a-are y-you?" he rasped, her twisted grin the last thing he saw before he was swallowed by unconsciousness.

Sanzo had struggled to his feet, aiming his gun directly at her and firing. The bullet lodged itself in the flesh of her back, but she didn't disappear like he had expected. "Fuck." A manufactured creation that was stronger and faster than any other foe they had ever faced, even more so than the stubborn god and the perversion that was Kami-sama. There was no way they could beat her.

Well, maybe one way, but…as much as he hated to say it, they had no other option left. "Goku! Take off your limiter!" Sanzo called, wincing at hearing himself have to ask such a question.

"N-no! I can't!" the boy replied, feeling the churning of his gut at the mere idea of it. Instinct told him no, that it was a bad idea, even though he didn't know the reason why. However, the desperate look that the priest gave him made him hesitate in his argument.

Especially at Sanzo's next words. "Goku, I swear to you that I won't let anything happen. We can't do this, and you can't remember how to fight. That fucking drug has you repressed, and there's only one way that I can think of to get your memories back," the priest explained evenly, silently thanking Gojyo for his distraction, however stupid it may have been. He moved to where the boy was, lifting his chin so that their eyes met. "You have my word that I won't fail you."

Goku swallowed again, nodding once before pressing their bodies insistently together. He drew strength from the slight embrace he was offered in turn, pulling back and setting his mouth into a determined line. He trusted this man, even if his memories didn't permit him to know why. He stood then, breathing heavily as he called, "Hey you!"

The creature turned towards him with a malicious smirk, almost making Goku flinch in its intensity. Letting out another heavy breath, Goku quickly reached up and willingly, for the first time in a long, long while, pulled the golden coronet from his forehead.

Sanzo watched with morbid curiosity at the sight before him, never having the pleasure of watching his charge transform into the heretical being. He winced at the pained sounds Goku released, as well as the unnatural glow that formed from that overwhelming power flowing out from the dam that kept it so well restricted. It flowed over him in a suffocating mass, but this time, it was different. Just subtly so, but enough for the monk to sense it.

Moments later, the glow dimmed and there stood Seiten Taisei, in all of his heretical glory, poised and clearly ready for a fight.

"Wow," the priest breathed, bone-chilling fear that he would never admit to feeling flooding him when those slit eyes turned in his direction, until the demon…smiled at him. Perhaps Seiten Taisei didn't remember their previous encounters because of the drug, forgetting whatever it was that made the god-like creature so angry with them before.

He turned then towards his adversary, carefully studying the unnatural demon with his enflamed golden eyes and ridiculous ki. The two began circling one another like true hunters, solely focused on each other instead of the three.

"Sanzo…what's going on?" Hakkai asked, dragging a very groggy-looking kappa to where the priest had been sitting and depositing him as gently as possible on the ground. The healer looked out, eyes widening when he realized who was fighting the creature now. "Sanzo? Are you sure about this?"

"Holy fuck, monk. You willingly let Captain Insane-o out? What the fuck are we going to do if he turns on us?" Gojyo complained, swooning when his head jarred too much and falling back into Hakkai's waiting arms.

Sanzo stayed strangely quiet, as though entranced by the two looming figures continuing their deadly dance. "He smiled at me. Whatever that drug was, it's effecting Seiten Taisei as well," he answered simply after a moment, his voice filled with confidence and a strange show of emotion. "It'll be all right."

Hakkai sighed resignedly, wrapping his arms tighter around the figure he was still holding and setting to mending the wounds that they had sustained as best he could. Gojyo, however, had to have the last word. "Well, too bad we don't have any popcorn…because this is going to be a hell of a show."