Chapter 9

As the days passed, Seiten realized he was starting to get in touch with the part of himself that had been separated. He could sometimes see flashes of memories from his years on earth. Some of what he saw made him angry while other things pleased him greatly. He was not sure what these flashes meant to him, but he took it as a sign that one day he would be whole again and not just the beast that he currently was. He was calmer than the last time he had escaped and he decided that was because Yochi was there with him. The last time he was out he had wanted to get away from the others so he could start looking for her. He knew she was somewhere, alone and unprotected, and it drove him mad to think she might be in danger and he was not there to protect her. He knew she was powerful enough to defend herself, but her heart was so gentle that he did not trust the enemy would extend her the same courtesy as she did them.

He still was too much of the beast to speak as Yochi did, but he knew she understood him regardless of what language he spoke. This side of Goku adored his mate and went to great lengths to show it, for he knew it was natural and nothing to by shy about or ashamed of. He hunted and brought back the best game he could find for their meals. When he saw an exceptionally beautiful flower, he would bring it back to tuck into her long hair. Seiten showered her with affection, from a simple twining of their fingers to their most passionate embrace; he was always in physical contact with her.

Yochi bloomed under the care and attention of her mate and returned it with enthusiasm. She would forage for the best spices and make delicious meals from the game he brought her. She was as demonstrative with her affection as he was and they travelled together either snuggled together on Dana or walking hand in hand in the shade of the trees. The longer Seiten was without his limiter the more in touch with himself he became and he celebrated in the feeling of becoming whole once more. He told her how much he loved her in every way he could and as often as possible.

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They looked up when they heard footsteps coming and Dana got up to greet Virya. Yochi heard quiet footsteps following him and saw the others stop at the edge of the clearing. She looked over at her mate and saw he was awake and watching them with murderous eyes. She walked over and stepped in front of him so he had no choice but to look at her.

She reached up and cupped his cheeks, "They are our friends, my love. Please do not hurt them."

He narrowed his eyes and growled softly.

"They will not hurt us." She slid her hands down his arms and turned so her back was resting against his chest. He rested his hands gently on her upper arms.

"Are you here to harm us?" she called to them.

Hakkai and Gojyo put their hands up to show they were empty. "No, Iyame. We just want to get Goku's limiter back on before he hurts someone."

Her mate growled a negative response over her shoulder. "Seiten said no. Why do you call us Iyame and Goku?"

"He doesn't have a choice in the matter." growled the bright haired one.

"There is always a choice. He chooses no. Now please explain what you called us."

"When your limiters are on, you take another form and those are the names you use." the dark haired one said soothingly.

Yochi furrowed her brows and looked to Dana for verification. The tiger gave her a look that clearly said what you call people or what they call you doesn't matter. "Why do you want to put the limiter back on him but not on me?" she asked.

"He is wild in this form and kills everything he sees for fun. You, apparently, don't." the bright one responded while pulling out a small gun.

Yochi stiffened, "I see you pulling out a weapon and him standing here quietly. How does that make him the dangerous one?"

"She has a valid point, Sanzo. You should put the gun away. I don't think you want to shoot Goku, do you?" Hakkai said quietly.

Sanzo lowered the gun but did not put it away. "I'll shoot him if I have to, Hakkai."

"You will do no such thing. He has not done anything to warrant such treatment. We have been wandering for over a week and only killed wild game so we could eat." Seiten continued to growl insults and threats over her shoulder as the others conversed. He was not pleased by this turn in events.

"Please put his limiter back on." the crimson one called quietly.

"Me?" Yochi asked in surprise.

"Yes. Merciful Goddess said you had the power to create a limiter for him."

"Of course I do, I am his equal in all things, but I am not going to put one on him if he does not agree."

"You have to." Sanzo said.

"No, I do not. It is not for me to make choices for him when he has given me no reason to do so."

"Then I will shoot him."

She glared at him, "I thought we were supposed to be friends? Friends do not shoot friends for no reason. I am not holding him back or preventing him in any way from killing you, yet he stands here and does nothing but talk." She listened to the three confer.

"She has a point. This isn't like the other times where he's gone after anything that moves." Hakkai pointed out.

"If she won't do it, I will. If I can't, then I'll shoot him." Sanzo growled.

"No, you won't! He's our friend and I won't let you." the crimson one ground out.

"You, crimson one, please come here. I would speak with you."

He looked at the pair and hesitated.

"You will come to no harm as long as you do not try to harm us."

He glanced back at the others and shrugged before walking over to them. He stopped a few feet away, not wanting to be within reach.

"What is your name?" she asked kindly.

He looked at her suspiciously, "Gojyo."

She held out a hand, "I am Yochi. It is nice to meet you, Gojyo."

He shook her hand cautiously and watched Goku carefully for a reaction while he did so. He watched but did nothing. "Um, it's nice to meet you too."

"What is your relationship with Seiten? You seem very concerned for him."

Gojyo looked her in the eye when he answered, "He's like a little brother to me."

"So you would see him come to no harm?"

"No, but I don't want him to harm someone and regret it later. It would hurt him, especially if it was one of us again."

"Again?"

"Yeah. The last time he lost control he ending up almost killing us before Sanzo was able to put his limiter back on."

She turned to Seiten and looked at him questioningly. He nodded.

"But why? I know you know they are your friends. They have your scent all over them."

He growled out a reply that made her look away with distress clearly written over her features.

She looked back at him, "I am very disappointed to hear you say such things, Seiten. You should have just left. I thought you were better than that." She turned and walked a few steps away from him, keeping her back to him.

It was his turn to be distressed and he looked at her back with hurt written clearly across his wild features. He walked up and placed his hands gently on her shoulders, apology written clearly in his posture.

"It is not me you need to apologize to. You hurt them and they care greatly about you. Especially this one." she indicated to Gojyo, "He is most loyal to you and you betrayed that bond. He has forgiven you for it without your apologies, but you should apologize anyway." She continued to keep her back to him.

"He doesn't need to do that. I know he didn't mean it." Gojyo defended his friend.

"Perhaps Goku did not intend it. Seiten however . . ." she trailed off without finishing.

Seiten looked at the ground as he removed his hands from her shoulders and walked over to Gojyo. Sanzo made to interrupt but Hakkai had been watching carefully and understood that his intent was not to cause harm. Seiten stood in front of Gojyo, looking very contrite, and slowly held out his arm. He looked up into Gojyo's eyes for a moment and the kappa saw apology written clearly in them.

He reached out to grasp Goku's arm firmly. "I understand how hard it is, little monkey." he told his friend kindly. Gojyo saw the relief in his eyes and the slight smile that tugged his lips at the words and he saw Goku in there. "Friends?" he asked.

Seiten nodded before pulling him in for an enthusiastic hug. He turned and looked back at his mate who was watching him with the smile she only smiled for him. He smiled back then looked at the other two uncertainly before returning his gaze to her. She nodded encouragingly and waited until his back was turned before turning a forbidding look on Sanzo. The monk glared back but put his gun away and slowly brought out his fan to tap against his palm.

"Is he crazy or just stupid?" Gojyo murmured. Yochi looked at him questioningly. "He likes to punish us for doing stupid things by smacking us with the fan."

She looked slightly taken aback, "Seiten has done nothing foolish."

"He took off his limiter when he saw you get hurt and if you hadn't gotten up when you did he likely would have tried to kill us again."

"He is too old to be punished so childishly."

"You try explaining that to Sanzo."

She cocked her head at him for a moment before replying, "I will." She was gone in a flash and standing behind Sanzo before he could blink. She spoke in the barest of whispers, knowing that Seiten could hear her but trying to be discreet anyway. She knew he would appreciate the effort at least. "Put that away. He is not a child and you need to stop treating him as such."

"I will punish my charge in whatever way I see fit."

"He is behaving as mature as his years. Do you not think hitting him with a fan as if he were a small child is counter productive?"

He gave her his darkest glare while Goku apologized to Hakkai. She didn't look away or even flinch.

"It's all right, Goku. I understand how hard it is to see someone you love get hurt." Hakkai said gently to his friend. He got a hug as well, but it was gentler than the one Gojyo had received.

Seiten turned towards his sun and saw his mate step away and leave them to it. This one was the most difficult for him. He knew this man was precious to his other half but he also knew that he was a hard man and could be unforgiving when it suited him. He had not forgiven him for taking his mate away so long ago and it grated his pride to need to apologize to him for anything. The others were blameless in that situation as far as he was concerned. Seiten watched him closely as he stepped over and apologized. He held out his arm and waited to see if the sun would take it.

"Do you really want my forgiveness?" Sanzo asked.

Seiten looked at him and nodded slowly.

"Then tell her to put your limiter back on."

He narrowed his eyes at the man and shook his head while growling a response.

Sanzo glanced at Yochi for a translation. She gave her mate an odd look but stated, "If I did, you wouldn't be forgiving me, you would be holding me hostage."

"So?"

"I will put my limiter back on when I am ready, not because you won't forgive me until I do."

"Goku would put it back on in an instant." Sanzo told him.

Seiten dropped his arm and glared at the monk while he made his response and Yochi translated, "I won't hurt you as long as you don't try to hurt me but I am not putting the limiter back on until I am ready. I removed it on my terms and I will replace it on my terms."

"Then I'll have to shoot you." Sanzo replied, his voice hard.

He pulled out his gun and several things happened at once. Yochi raised a shield between them, Gojyo leapt in front of Sanzo's gun, and Sanzo pulled the trigger for a warning shot. When the dust settled, Gojyo was lying on the ground completely still with a gunshot wound to the heart. Seiten gave Sanzo a look that promised payback as he knelt down next to his friend. Hakkai was already on the ground next to him trying desperately to heal him. Yochi stared at their friend in horror as she realized he was dead.

"Gojyo." she whispered as she sunk to her knees beside him.

Hakkai became aware of her presence and took hold of her shoulders desperately. "Please, Iyame, help him."

"But, Hakkai, he is dead. What could I possibly do?"

"You brought me back once. Please help him. He can't leave me."

Yochi looked at Seiten for confirmation and he nodded. "Equals and opposites: you end life and I restore it." He nodded again and she turned back to the crimson haired man next to her. She looked at the trembling Hakkai, "I don't know what to do."

He took her hands and placed them on Gojyo's chest. "Think about what you want to happen. The bullet out of his body, the tissues knitting back together as they should be. Breathing, living, whole and healthy again. Summon the energy and let it flow."

Yochi concentrated and felt a light go on inside her. She showed it what she wanted and let it take over. Her entire body glowed golden white and Hakkai watched Gojyo anxiously while she worked. Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he dragged in a deep breath. The glow subsided and Yochi collapsed against Seiten, who caught her and cradled her against his chest.

Hakkai eased Gojyo up into a sitting position and held him tight against his chest. He looked angrily at Sanzo, "You almost killed him."

"I did kill him. Stupid water sprite should know better than to step in front of a gun." Sanzo growled.

Seiten looked up at him with narrowed eyes but could do nothing until he knew Yochi was all right. Virya solved the problem for him by once again knocking Sanzo down and resting a foot on his chest, much more heavily than the last time. He then pointedly returned his attention to Yochi, who was stirring in Seiten's arms. She opened her eyes and saw her mate first and smiled. Then she remembered Gojyo and sat up so fast only Seiten's ultra fast reflexes kept her from breaking his nose on the way up.

"Hakkai, is he okay?" she demanded.

He looked up at her and smiled, "Yes. Just a little tired, I think."

She slumped back down for a moment before looking around. Her eyes landed on Sanzo and she scrambled to her feet. "You-you foolish monk! What were you thinking? How dare you pull the trigger and try to shoot my husband! How dare you take such a caviler attitude about the lives of your companions!" She opened her mouth to continue but simply could not put her outrage into words. Finally she roared, "I should have left you paralyzed!" before bursting into tears.

Seiten pulled her against his chest and glared at the monk while she recovered her composure. After several deep breaths she pulled away and walked over to Sanzo, wiping angrily at her tears. She picked up his gun and slipped it into her belt.

"You have lost your shooting privileges until you prove to me that you can handle a gun responsibly. Virya, you may let him up when you wish." She turned back to the pair on the ground.

"He took that rather well. I don't think he's ever allowed anyone to just stand there and yell at him." Hakkai observed darkly.

"Oh, he did not have a choice. I swelled his jaw shut so I would not have to listen to anymore of his foolishness. If he had not been bent on shooting Seiten then Gojyo would not have needed to protect him. By the way Gojyo, Seiten and I can take a couple of shots from that gun without permanent harm. I appreciate that you were worried about us, big brother, but please be more careful in the future."

"You remember us now?" Gojyo asked quietly.

"Yes. All of that chi flowing must have unlocked everything."

"Are you willing to replace Goku's limiter now?" Hakkai asked quietly.

"Not until he tells me to." she replied without hesitation. "He has not done anything to warrant it so it must be his choice."

Gojyo looked up at his friend, "Goku, I miss your voice. How am I supposed to pick a fight with you if I don't understand what you're saying?"

Seiten looked at Gojyo thoughtfully as memories of arguing with him chased across his mind's eye. After a long moment, he spoke in a voice rusty from disuse. It was low and rumbling, very unlike Goku's voice. "I can speak." he said slowly, as he found the language deep within his mind.

Gojyo and Hakkai's eyes became impossibly wide.

Sanzo's narrowed before he growled. Yochi's narrowed in return before she lifted the swelling so he could ask, "And why haven't you shared that with us before?"

Seiten glared right back, "Do you talk to your toys?"

Yochi gasped in surprise at the callous words. "Seiten, how could you say such things to your friends?"

"He is not my friend. He took my mate away from me in heaven. Friends don't do that."

She tugged him around until they were almost nose to nose, "Konzen sent me away to protect me. What would you have done if the Jade Emperor sent me with Nataku and never let me come back?"

"I would have gone with you. I could have helped our friend defeat his enemies."

She looked up at him sorrowfully, "And what kind of existence would that have been? Always at war. Always wounded. Always under attack by some new enemy. We could never have had a family like that."

"We don't have a family now." he replied flatly.

She recoiled from him with a wounded expression and returned her attention to Gojyo to make sure he was all right. He frowned down at her before sighing and resting a clawed hand gently on her shoulder in apology. Yochi gave a brief nod of acknowledgement but did not meet his eyes.

"Why are you angry?" he demanded.

She spun around and glared at him, "Because you are being an ass. Why did you apologize to them if you think they are toys?"

His eyes widened at her verbal and non-verbal language. "I don't understand why you think that. You wanted me to apologize, so I did. I meant it for Taisho, and mostly for Gensui."

She spluttered for a moment before standing up and walking away from him with a rumbling growl. Seiten's eyes narrowed at her behavior and he stalked over to her so he could turn her around to face him. He settled his hands firmly on her shoulders so she couldn't get away and glared down at her.

"Why are you angry?" he asked again.

"Seiten, you called our family toys. You tried to kill them, insulted them by apologizing and not meaning it. That comment about not having our family yet hurt." She looked down, "You know I would not have been able to stand always being at war, all of that death and destruction. I should not have been gone so long, but Konzen was only trying to protect me. Then Master would not allow me to leave and I had to run away. But it was too late. I was too late." She buried her face in her hands and started crying in earnest.

He stared down at his mate in absolute surprise before tugging her against him so she could bury her face in his chest. She had never cried like this in all the time they had spent together. Seiten purred softly for her until she calmed down to sniffles.

"Don't cry, my heart. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm still angry that Konzen took you away without my permission and none of them would tell me where you were."

"I understand that, but please, they are the only family I've had for so long I can't stand to see you treat them this way."

He buried his face in her hair and rocked them slowly while he considered all she had said. Finally he released her enough to look down into her face, "When this is done, we're going to start our family. They will be uncles and we'll have many children for them to spoil. And no one will ever take you away from me again."

She smiled softly before brushing a kiss against his lips. He released all but her hand and started pulling her back to where the others were gathered, "Come, I would like to check on Taisho and make sure he is all right."

She willingly followed him back to the others and watched as he knelt beside his friend.

"Do you still believe I should replace my limiter?" he asked the former general quietly.

Gojyo caught Seiten's eye before speaking, "You're true form is too powerful to walk around everyday. I would worry about you less, monkey, if you did."

"And you recommend this even though you know what it does to my mind?" he asked.

Gojyo hesitated as he considered the question. He didn't want his friend harmed by wearing the limiter, but there was no way they could safely travel with him in his natural form. "Is there a way to replace it that doesn't split your mind?" he finally asked.

Seiten looked up at Yochi and she replied, "I think I can create a limiter that limits your power without dividing your mind, but it might take a while to figure out how. I already know how to make your regular limiter and can make it weaker."

Seiten considered Gojyo silently before turning his attention to Yochi, "All right, but make sure I remember."

"Are you certain, sweetheart?"

He pulled her close for a lengthy kiss and then nodded. She reached up and placed her thumb and pinky on either side of his forehead and closed her eyes. The others watched as a band formed and locked around his head. He collapsed and she caught him, as she always would. She carried him over to where Dana was resting and noticed that Virya had let Sanzo up. He was pacing angrily but if you looked very, very closely, you could see the guilt and horror he was feeling. He should be feeling guilty about what he did. She settled down with Goku between Dana and Virya to ensure the monk didn't try anything funny while they rested. She looked up as she heard quiet footsteps approach.

"Is everything okay?" she asked Gojyo when he stopped.

"Thank you."

She smiled at her friend, "You are very welcome. Now get some rest and let Hakkai fuss over you a bit. He was very worried."

Gojyo glanced over his shoulder at the other man, "Yeah, I got that feeling."

"Good night, big brother."

"Good night, little sister." he replied before walking back over to Hakkai so he could fuss over him a little more. She curled around Goku and fell asleep.