--Chapter 4: Sed libera nos a malo--

"Kanan! I'm home!" his voice calls out jovially, laying his briefcase and keys on the table. It isn't even a second later that an acrid smell assaults his senses; the stench of blood and semen is so thick it makes his head spin. Bile burns in the back of his throat as he tears through the house, horrified to find it in an upheaval…and no Kanan.

Everywhere there is blood and upturned furniture, indicating a struggle of some kind. Brilliant red footprints lead him straight to their bedroom, tapering off into a bloody mess that used to be the bed they shared. There, wrapped in the cotton sheets were they had made love countless times, is the broken body of his lover.

"Kanan! Baby, please…speak to me!" he calls out, his breath choking him as it mixes with the tears that are streaming down his face. To his relief, she lifts her head to the best of her ability, offering a semblance of a smile.

"Gonou…please…just go…get out before…" she replies brokenly, her eyes serious despite the blood dotting the corner of her bruised mouth. Then, her expression turns to one of utter horror as a whimper escapes from deep within her chest.

He turns just in time to feel something smash hard against his face, and everything goes frighteningly black.

-----

Hakkai shot up in his bed, sweat dripping down his clammy face as he struggled to catch his breath. Pain rippled through his stomach, accompanying the stab of the memories that were threatening to consume him. He hadn't dreamed about that in years, so why was he suddenly dreaming about it now?

Getting up from his bed, knowing that he wouldn't be going back to sleep anytime soon, he decided to take a walk around the churchyard to calm his racing heart. The night was peaceably warm, a clear sky with a near full moon riding high amongst the inky backdrop. Just breathing in the night air was beginning to calm his nerves.

"Couldn't sleep either, eh?" a voice called from the dark, startling the green-eyed man into stumbling as he made his way down the steps into the small garden. He focused his attention, noticing the blond seated on a wooden bench beneath what appeared to be one of many willow trees. His companion was smirking in clear amusement at his reaction, smoke curling around him in the moonlight.

"J-Just nightmares, is all. I think this place reminds me of…things I would much rather leave in the past," Hakkai answered honestly, taking a seat beside the other man, despite the look he received for his trouble. He pointedly ignored it, choosing instead to lean back and rub the heel of each hand into an eye. "What in the world are you doing out of bed this late? I thought that you were tired." The subtle jab was masked with his usual smile, earning him a derisive snort.

Sanzo looked off into the night at first, as though he forgot completely that he wasn't alone, taking another drag of his cigarette to further his pondering. "I…there was a voice. I kept hearing someone fucking calling me, asking me for…something. It's the second time I've heard it since we got here, and I'm starting to think I'm losing my mind," he grumbled after a moment, releasing the stream of smoke that he had been holding in his lungs as he spoke. "Can't very well sleep when someone is making all that goddamn racket."

The brunet laughed despite himself, running a hand through his hair. "No, I don't suppose you could. I remember you remarking that Master Koumyou said something similar a long time ago, didn't he?" he inquired very, very carefully, knowing that it was still a sore subject with the blond, even after all these years. Sanzo spoke so highly of the man that he admired, when he did speak of him at all, that Hakkai often felt it was a shame that he never got to meet him.

"Yeah…that's why I'm worried. Crazy old coot and his senseless ramblings," the blond replied affectionately, tensing when he realized that he let his guard slip so carelessly. He stubbed out his cigarette on the armrest of the bench almost viciously, eyes turbulent as he turned to his assistant. "Forget I said anything. It doesn't matter. Whatever that noise is, I'll find the source and shut it up once and for all. Problem solved," he snapped dismissively. He started to get up, but a still too-clammy hand brushed his arm and gave him pause.

"You know, I don't think any less of you for it," was all the usually eloquent man said in reply, getting to his feet as well and folding his arms behind his back as he walked back the way he came. "Good night, Sanzo."

This time, it was the blond's turn to be left standing there with nothing to say.

-----

Sanzo was going to shoot something before this little trip was up, he was sure of it. The morning had been chaotic to say the least, unpleasantly awakened from already uneasy slumber by a very loud and exuberant child insisting that he come down for breakfast. Once he had successfully managed to chase the brat away, another quickly took her place and began to ask all sorts of annoying questions about why he was wearing that, and why his eyes were such a funny color, and if he dyed his hair or not. Unfortunately, this little boy was not as easily deterred, following him down the hall as he met up with his companion.

Naturally, the brunet was vastly amused by the sight of a reluctant Sanzo's little shadow, and the glare he received for his muffled snickers merely made it worse. "Well, this should be a very interesting couple of weeks, wouldn't you say?" he teased the other man, shaking his head when the blond's glare grew even more poisonous.

"Whatever," he deadpanned, adjusting his cassock once before heading into the dining room, his eyes nearly falling out of his head in shock and thinly veiled disgust. It was an utter madhouse, to say the very least. Children were talking over the top of one another, all trying to catch the attention of a very frazzled Yaone, who smiled sweetly despite it. And when a younger nun walked in with the food, grabby little hands began attacking it almost immediately. For Sanzo, who was so unused to the uproar of excited little ones, the sight turned his stomach and made him lose his appetite.

Hakkai, on the other hand, took a seat amongst them as though he belonged in the small chairs. He listened as they chattered to him, a true smile blossoming on his face as he helped serve their plates. For a moment, it was almost as if the quiet, still-healing man he had brought back with him was a completely different person.

Yaone looked mildly surprised, smiling all over again as she took a seat and began to eat breakfast as well. "Thank you…mealtimes can be quite hectic sometimes," she said pleasantly, regarding the man with the utmost politeness and sincerity in her soft way.

"It's no problem. I used to be a kindergarten teacher before I became a priest," he replied, his eyes darkening a bit at the slight memory. Instinctively, she knew that it wasn't a subject that she should pursue further. Instead she smiled, resting her hand atop his for a second out of comfort.

Three more figures entered the room as well, with Lirin immediately jumping into the fray and giving the children a good run for their money when it came to packing the food away. Kougaiji entered behind her, regarding the two other priests with only the barest nod of his head as he kissed his wife warmly on the cheek. He patted a couple of the small heads that swarmed around him, his face sober even as his eyes softened.

The last to enter was the man from the night before, whom neither Sanzo nor Hakkai had been introduced. He turned when he noticed both of them studying him so carefully, raising an eyebrow. "Yes?" he asked irritably, not sure he liked the way they were scrutinizing him.

"Oh, forgive me. Where are my manners this morning? I don't believe we were introduced," Hakkai offered courteously, pleased when the other man took it and shook it heartily. "I am Father Hakkai, and this is Father Sanzo. We're the emissaries from the Sanctity of Innocent Heart." He knew his blond companion wasn't going to make a proper introduction, so he took the liberty of doing it for him.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Sha Jien, but every one calls me Dokugakuji…or Doku for short. Don't ask, please," he replied with a chuckle, offering a smile to the rather sullen blond in the corner. When he got no reply, he simply shrugged and nodded once to Kougaiji. "Better get going…Mom will be wondering where I've gone off to. Give Aria my best, and…" his voice trailed off, as though it caught in his throat on the way out. The redhead nodded as though he understood, and that was all that was needed.

"Are you ready? Let's get going," Kougaiji asked briskly, kissing his wife once more and ruffling his sibling's habit, setting it a bit off-kilter. He stood to his full height, his face set in a terse expression.

Both priests shared a look, each nodding once before joining him on the way out the door.

-----

"Goku, dear, would you please stop fidgeting? What has gotten into you this morning?" Aria asked as she set down the basket of freshly laundered clothing and sheets, inwardly relieved to see that the boy's melancholy had dissipated. Instead, he was his usual energetic self, except that he was pacing and looking out the window as though he was expecting someone.

"I don't know…but I get the feeling that something's going to happen today. My wrists aren't hurting today, so I think it's a good sign," he replied happily, eyes wide and sparkling with more life than she had seen in them in a while. It seemed that even his wounds were manageable, his bandages not nearly as stained as they usually were. "Is breakfast ready? I'm hungry!"

Aria smiled widely, running her hands affectionately through the unruly brunet locks in an useless effort to tame them a bit. "Yes, and I believe Gojyo's waiting for you in the playroom. I took the liberty of serving you there," she answered, feeling as though she were absorbing the boy's mass amount of energy. She followed him to the best of her abilities, watching as Goku tackled the redhead from behind with a squeal of joy.

Said redhead retaliated with a triumphant yell when he pinned the other to the table and proceeded to tickle him senseless. The other nurses looked exasperated at their childish behavior, shaking their heads in pity even as Aria laughed right along with them. This was more of what she was used to, the tenseness in her heart easing a bit as the sound filled her to the brim. "All right, you two…that's enough. It's time to eat your breakfast so Gojyo can take his medicine. How are you feeling?" she asked the older man, stifling giggles at the renewed fighting spirit as the two battled over the same stack of pancakes.

"Peachy. The rains have cleared and it's not as cold," he responded between bites of pancakes and insults, even taking a deep, albeit shaky, breath in affirmation. He smiled comically as syrup dripped down his chin, using the sleeve of his shirt to wipe it away. Though he was supposed to be nearly twenty-three, sometimes his childishness got the better of him. Aria often thought that it was a result from his rather strange upbringing.

Goku continued to squirm and fret in his seat even as he ate, an activity that usually deserved his undivided attention. However, it seemed that his restlessness couldn't be quelled. "Hey, brat…you got a worm up your ass or something? You're squirming like it," Gojyo commented eloquently, earning himself a swat on the head with the clipboard the ebony-haired nurse was writing on. He rubbed his head absently, choosing to ignore it.

Luminous amber eyes widened at the question, even as his nose wrinkled at the analogy. "No, you big dummy. You wouldn't believe me if I told you, so I'm going to keep it a secret!" Goku declared emphatically, nodding his head sharply as if to affirm his words more effectively. Suddenly, to his dismay, surprisingly strong arms wrapped around his body and pulled him into one of Gojyo's infamous holds. He struggled, but his efforts were useless; the redhead had him pinned for the second time that day.

"What was that? I don't think I heard you correctly. I thought you said, 'Yes, Gojyo. I'll tell you why I can't sit still to save my life this morning, and why I'm grinning like I just got laid,'" the redhead jibed, earning him another thump on the head for his trouble. Grinning despite it, he kept the wriggling boy in his place and waited for a reply.

However, none came because a sudden knock startled their attention the nearby door, Gojyo immediately releasing his smaller friend and Goku effectively backing away. Aria rose from her seat to open it, revealing a familiar face. "Father Kougaiji!" the boy said happily, bouncing from his seat to give the priest one of his familiar hugs. The priest nodded in greeting, awkwardly petting the boy's head as his arms encircled the priest's waist. The barest hint of a smile flashed for a second, before his face fell into his usual stern expression.

"It's good to see you feeling so lively, Goku. Just stopped by to visit," he said, his words accompanied by a small cough to hide any traces of emotion, nodding once to the redhead who looked less than pleased with his arrival. It was no secret that Gojyo didn't like him, knowing that it was he who kept insisting his brother come and see him. And of course, both of them knew what that meant as well.

Aria smiled warmly, bowing her head in regards to the priest. "It's pleasant to see you again, as always," she offered politely, as always. "To what honor do we owe such a visit? It's been quite a while since you've made a trip here. Usually it's only Sister Lirin and Sister Yaone that come."

The look on his face made Goku fidget even more, as though he knew he wasn't going to like what Kougaiji was going to tell him. The nervous feeling that he had been struggling with all morning escalated, sending adrenaline rushing through his veins. He unconsciously shifted towards Gojyo, feeling uncharacteristically bashful as the scarlet-haired priest spoke again.

"It would seem there are some people who are very anxious to meet you, Goku."

(Translation: But deliver us from evil)