*HOURS EARLIER*
All was silent in the lab. Nii had just gotten back from a visit with Lady Koushu and was relaxing in his chair with his feet up on the desk. He picked up a Rubik's cube and began to work at it in the soft glow of the computer screens around him. It wasn't three minutes later that a low-level demon allowed himself into the lab.
"Sir, I was sent to inform you that the cruiser has returned, the rain clouds have been following the Sanzo Party's path and everything should be in order," the demon lackey stated proudly.
"Don't you think I know that already?" Nii asked in an obnoxiously strained voice, smiling as he happily crushed the demon's pride.
"Huh, Sir?"
"I've put transmitters on the cruiser and I have the weather patterns on the screen in front of me. I'm not Lady Koushu's choice scientist for nothing you know." Nii made sure to annunciate a few selective words so the fuming Dr. Huang working in the back could hear. "Now make yourself useful and get me some more coffee."
"O-of course, Sir. My apologies." With that, the demon quickly exited the lab.
Nii grinned and held up his stuffed toy. "Well, Bunny. I think we've found our next test subject, hm?" To which Bunny nodded back.
"Oh dear."
* * *
Gojyo frowned, his hand wasn't as great as he hoped it'd be and he knew that Hakkai could very well win at any moment. However he wasn't concerned in the least about what Goku could have since he never won anything anyway. Feeling a sudden itch on his bicep, Gojyo instinctively reached up and scratched it, paying the irritation no mind until he realized he hadn't stopped itching it for about five minutes straight. He looked up and noticed Hakkai rubbing the back of his neck absentmindedly, but Gojyo dismissed it as nothing.
Goku picked up the cards he was dealt back and Gojyo immediately noticed a slightly purple stain blotched on his hand. "Hey what's that?" Gojyo asked as Goku noticed the mark for the first time.
"I dunno. I guess that could explain why my hand has been itching for the last ten minutes though." Goku then noticed a similar mark, though a bit more irritated on Gojyo's arm. "But it looks like whatever you have. What do you think it is?"
"What's going on?" Hakkai asked as he looked over his cards to his two itching opponents.
"Me and Gojyo have a weird...er rash of something."
"Yeah, mine itches like hell." Gojyo added. "Do we have some Calamine lotion or something?"
"Itches?" Hakkai then realized he'd been scratching the back of his neck more so than rubbing it.
"Ugh, there's no way that I'm letting anyone put that pink shit all over me." Goku groaned.
"Goku? Do I have anything on the back of my neck?" Hakkai leaned over for Goku to examine his neck.
Goku sat up on his knees and looked over Hakkai's neck, finding the same purplish mark had covered most of the skin. He sat back as he confirmed his findings to Hakkai all the while hiding his cards from Gojyo's peering eyes.
"You think it's something we ate?" Gojyo asked, trying his hardest not to irritate the rash anymore.
"I'm not sure," Hakkai began. "But you think if it was, Goku would be covered in it."
"Hmm." Gojyo looked over to Sanzo who hadn't moved an inch since the poker game had begun. "Hey droopy eyes, hate to impede on your brooding time but are you uh... itchy at all?"
"What?" Sanzo glanced over to the rest of his comrades, annoyance plastered on his face.
"Well we all have these weird rashes, so.." Gojyo trailed off as he realized how much of an idiot he sounded like.
"Now that you mention it... no," Sanzo growled as he looked back outside. "It's not my fault you have bugs."
"Sanzo this is really odd. I'm thinking we should just try to drive through the rain to get to town," Hakkai offered.
"Yeah! What if this is serious! Besides, I'm starving, Sanzo!" Goku sat up and looked at Sanzo with his large, pleading gold eyes.
"All of you calm down. It's probably just poison ivy. So cover yourselves in that pink shit and shut the hell up."
Hakkai nodded. "I guess you could be right." *But somehow I think this is a bit more serious than just poison ivy.*
"So on with the game then? It might take our minds off the itching." Goku suggested. "Call?"
Hakkai looked down at his cards and smiled as he laid his cards out. "Straight Flush"
"Son of a bitch," Gojyo grumbled as he threw down his two pair of nines and aces. "I need a smoke."
Hakkai stood up. "Well, I knew you'd be running low soon so I took the liberty of holding on to one for you." Hakkai grinned as he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and handed it to a very delighted Gojyo. "As much as I hate furthering your lung cancer."
Gojyo's eyes lit up, "Hakkai, you're a friggin' lifesaver!"
"Oh, I wouldn't say that seeing as I'm contributing to this unhealthy habit of yours."
"Mmm hmm, whatever." Gojyo grabbed the cigarette and stepped outside after brushing past the monk. The rain had died down into a light sprinkle as Gojyo made his way to the forest's edge. "If I stay in there any longer, I'm going to develop a complex." Gojyo said as he placed his hand over the flame of the silver Zippo and cigarette and inhaled deeply as the end lit. The light from the cigarette glowed brightly in the cool, gloomy night and Gojyo was lost in a trance watching the smoke from the cig become spirited away by the wind.
It was then Gojyo heard a rustle in the bushes and a snap of a twig not deep into the woods. "Hm? Hello?" His crimson eyes scanned the black void of the forest around him.
Crack!
"What the hell?" Gojyo took another drag of his cigarette as he stepped in the direction of the sound. "Meh, I guess I don't mind a walk."
From inside the tent Sanzo kept his eye on Gojyo. "Where is that idiot going?"
Goku peered out from behind Sanzo's shoulder. "He probably just has to take a piss. Who cares?"
Sanzo growled. "You're definitely too close to me, monkey. Back off."
"Sure sure. Jeez, grumpy much?" Goku began to make his way to the back of the tent. He wasn't looking where he was going when he tripped over the lantern in the middle of the tent as he toppled forward. "AAH!" Instinctively, Goku grabbed the closest thing to keep from falling, which happened to be Hakkai's shoulder. Hakkai cried out, but what surprised Goku was that it was not a cry of surprise, but one of pain.
Sanzo jumped up and grabbed the lantern, relieved none of the oil had spilled out into the tent. "You want to burn the place down, you goddamned monkey?!"
But Goku wasn't listening, his eyes were wide in shock as the dim light illuminated the blood that covered his hands... and claws.
All was silent in the lab. Nii had just gotten back from a visit with Lady Koushu and was relaxing in his chair with his feet up on the desk. He picked up a Rubik's cube and began to work at it in the soft glow of the computer screens around him. It wasn't three minutes later that a low-level demon allowed himself into the lab.
"Sir, I was sent to inform you that the cruiser has returned, the rain clouds have been following the Sanzo Party's path and everything should be in order," the demon lackey stated proudly.
"Don't you think I know that already?" Nii asked in an obnoxiously strained voice, smiling as he happily crushed the demon's pride.
"Huh, Sir?"
"I've put transmitters on the cruiser and I have the weather patterns on the screen in front of me. I'm not Lady Koushu's choice scientist for nothing you know." Nii made sure to annunciate a few selective words so the fuming Dr. Huang working in the back could hear. "Now make yourself useful and get me some more coffee."
"O-of course, Sir. My apologies." With that, the demon quickly exited the lab.
Nii grinned and held up his stuffed toy. "Well, Bunny. I think we've found our next test subject, hm?" To which Bunny nodded back.
"Oh dear."
* * *
Gojyo frowned, his hand wasn't as great as he hoped it'd be and he knew that Hakkai could very well win at any moment. However he wasn't concerned in the least about what Goku could have since he never won anything anyway. Feeling a sudden itch on his bicep, Gojyo instinctively reached up and scratched it, paying the irritation no mind until he realized he hadn't stopped itching it for about five minutes straight. He looked up and noticed Hakkai rubbing the back of his neck absentmindedly, but Gojyo dismissed it as nothing.
Goku picked up the cards he was dealt back and Gojyo immediately noticed a slightly purple stain blotched on his hand. "Hey what's that?" Gojyo asked as Goku noticed the mark for the first time.
"I dunno. I guess that could explain why my hand has been itching for the last ten minutes though." Goku then noticed a similar mark, though a bit more irritated on Gojyo's arm. "But it looks like whatever you have. What do you think it is?"
"What's going on?" Hakkai asked as he looked over his cards to his two itching opponents.
"Me and Gojyo have a weird...er rash of something."
"Yeah, mine itches like hell." Gojyo added. "Do we have some Calamine lotion or something?"
"Itches?" Hakkai then realized he'd been scratching the back of his neck more so than rubbing it.
"Ugh, there's no way that I'm letting anyone put that pink shit all over me." Goku groaned.
"Goku? Do I have anything on the back of my neck?" Hakkai leaned over for Goku to examine his neck.
Goku sat up on his knees and looked over Hakkai's neck, finding the same purplish mark had covered most of the skin. He sat back as he confirmed his findings to Hakkai all the while hiding his cards from Gojyo's peering eyes.
"You think it's something we ate?" Gojyo asked, trying his hardest not to irritate the rash anymore.
"I'm not sure," Hakkai began. "But you think if it was, Goku would be covered in it."
"Hmm." Gojyo looked over to Sanzo who hadn't moved an inch since the poker game had begun. "Hey droopy eyes, hate to impede on your brooding time but are you uh... itchy at all?"
"What?" Sanzo glanced over to the rest of his comrades, annoyance plastered on his face.
"Well we all have these weird rashes, so.." Gojyo trailed off as he realized how much of an idiot he sounded like.
"Now that you mention it... no," Sanzo growled as he looked back outside. "It's not my fault you have bugs."
"Sanzo this is really odd. I'm thinking we should just try to drive through the rain to get to town," Hakkai offered.
"Yeah! What if this is serious! Besides, I'm starving, Sanzo!" Goku sat up and looked at Sanzo with his large, pleading gold eyes.
"All of you calm down. It's probably just poison ivy. So cover yourselves in that pink shit and shut the hell up."
Hakkai nodded. "I guess you could be right." *But somehow I think this is a bit more serious than just poison ivy.*
"So on with the game then? It might take our minds off the itching." Goku suggested. "Call?"
Hakkai looked down at his cards and smiled as he laid his cards out. "Straight Flush"
"Son of a bitch," Gojyo grumbled as he threw down his two pair of nines and aces. "I need a smoke."
Hakkai stood up. "Well, I knew you'd be running low soon so I took the liberty of holding on to one for you." Hakkai grinned as he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and handed it to a very delighted Gojyo. "As much as I hate furthering your lung cancer."
Gojyo's eyes lit up, "Hakkai, you're a friggin' lifesaver!"
"Oh, I wouldn't say that seeing as I'm contributing to this unhealthy habit of yours."
"Mmm hmm, whatever." Gojyo grabbed the cigarette and stepped outside after brushing past the monk. The rain had died down into a light sprinkle as Gojyo made his way to the forest's edge. "If I stay in there any longer, I'm going to develop a complex." Gojyo said as he placed his hand over the flame of the silver Zippo and cigarette and inhaled deeply as the end lit. The light from the cigarette glowed brightly in the cool, gloomy night and Gojyo was lost in a trance watching the smoke from the cig become spirited away by the wind.
It was then Gojyo heard a rustle in the bushes and a snap of a twig not deep into the woods. "Hm? Hello?" His crimson eyes scanned the black void of the forest around him.
Crack!
"What the hell?" Gojyo took another drag of his cigarette as he stepped in the direction of the sound. "Meh, I guess I don't mind a walk."
From inside the tent Sanzo kept his eye on Gojyo. "Where is that idiot going?"
Goku peered out from behind Sanzo's shoulder. "He probably just has to take a piss. Who cares?"
Sanzo growled. "You're definitely too close to me, monkey. Back off."
"Sure sure. Jeez, grumpy much?" Goku began to make his way to the back of the tent. He wasn't looking where he was going when he tripped over the lantern in the middle of the tent as he toppled forward. "AAH!" Instinctively, Goku grabbed the closest thing to keep from falling, which happened to be Hakkai's shoulder. Hakkai cried out, but what surprised Goku was that it was not a cry of surprise, but one of pain.
Sanzo jumped up and grabbed the lantern, relieved none of the oil had spilled out into the tent. "You want to burn the place down, you goddamned monkey?!"
But Goku wasn't listening, his eyes were wide in shock as the dim light illuminated the blood that covered his hands... and claws.