Chapter 25
Black Hole

A/N: I wrote this whole chapter by hand in a notebook and it was twelve and a half pages. Too long so it's been split in two. And I apologize for the wait. Chapter before last by the way.

"Hey Sanzo, where are we?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know monkey?" Sanzo glared around a corner, "This castle is like a fucking maze."

Hakkai lit the way ahead of the other two in the dark hallway. The lights above hummed, trying to find a power source that wasn't there. "It would seem the other team is way ahead of us. The power is already out."

"No shit Hakkai. But now we can't see where we're going."

They moved slowly forwards and Hakkai stepped closer to Sanzo, "Sanzo, I can feel it."

"The Minus Wave?"

Hakkai nodded and the two men looked to Goku warily. If anything he would be the first to change, "Goku, how do you feel?"

"Huh?" he stopped in his tracks and scratched his head, "Hungry I guess."

Hakkai chuckled and Sanzo deadpanned, "He's fine."

In the next moment there was a shuffling sound down the hall. Sanzo didn't hesitate to shoot into the darkness. Sparks flew as the bullet ricochet off the metal walls and finally plinked somewhere unknown.

"Dammit Sanzo!"

"Are you hurt?"

A light appeared, illuminating the other group. Nai pouted, "No."

"Then get over it."

Gojyo smirked at the blonde, "And what if you had shot one of us Sanzo-sama?"

Sanzo smirked back, "Then I could only pray it would have been you."

Nai bit her lip to keep from laughing and Gojyo scowled at the priest. Kougaiji flared the light source in his hand a bit, "We're wasting time. The generator is in that room."

Goku rubbed his chest, "I thought I was just hungry..."

Nai frowned, "Lets just turn the thing off and move on."

There was a brief moment of silence until Hakkai reached for the knob and swung open the door.

"Hello! I've been waiting a while for you to get her Kouryu."

Sanzo's blood froze in his veins. He knew that voice and he could picture the smile whose mirth didn't quite reach the owner's dark eyes. But he didn't need to envision any further because the lights flickered to life. Ukoku Sanzo bowed theatrically to both groups, his black robe swishing with the wide, arching, sweep of his arm.

He straightened and pointed to the ceiling, "Typical military strategy to cut the lights. But it seems our prince forgot the new generator. Recently installed you see, just in case."

Kougaiji growled and Nai shook her head. "Let Sanzo handle it." She whispered. "We need to find your father."

The castle gave a harsh tremble, almost knocking everyone off his or her feet. Ukoku chuckled, "Sounds awfully angry doesn't he?"

Sanzo raised his gun at the dark priest. Nai stepped backwards into Gojyo, pushing him back around the corner, but he resisted. "Girly."

She ignored him, "Is there another way to your dad?" she addressed Kougaiji.

"Yes. Back the way we came."

"Go."

Gojyo stood his ground as the other two head back towards the stairwell. Nai grabbed his arm, "Gojyo c'mon..."

"Girly I'm sorry."

"No. I don't want to hear it, let's go."

"Girly..."

Nai glared at him, "Dammit Gojyo." She thought about it for a moment then her gaze softened, "Fine. Go."

Sanzo watched as Gojyo came back around the corner. Behind him Hakkai chuckled, "Couldn't stay away?"

"Nai didn't need my help. But you guys..."

Sanzo scoffed, "I don't need the extra help."

"Sure you don't blondie..."

Ukoku adjusted his glasses and restrained himself from giddily clapping his hands, "Wonderful. Now I can swallow all four of you whole."

Goku moved closer next to Sanzo, "Sanzo, I don't like this guy. Something about him is weird. He smells like a human but..."

"He's human Goku." Sanzo kept his gun arm steady, "He just has demonic ways about him."

The setup of the room shifted as Ukoku paced. A smile forever on his face. Hakkai and Gojyo covered him from behind. Sanzo and Goku faced his front.

Sanzo twitched, his gun hand squeezing the Smith and Wesson tighter.

Behind Ukoku, Gojyo stepped out of the range of Sanzo's gun and the priest fired. But the bullet never hit anything.

Sanzo scowled as Hakkai moved to attack and Gojyo moved to help also. The dark priest sidestepped them and without blinking, without moving at all, the two were bleeding out on the floor.

Goku howled and charged the man. Ukoku smiled, "Children should have better manners." He waved his arm and sent a bleeding Goku crashing into the nearest wall.

Sanzo was livid. He emptied the casings in his gun and scrambled to reload. He felt bare with no one covering him.

"Don't you touch him!" Goku pulled himself off the floor and moved again for the dark priest closing in on Sanzo. The boy landed, wobbly, in front of his savior but Ukoku was gone. He steadied himself with his weapon, "Where'd he go?"

Sanzo started to answer the boy but a black hole opened in the floor under Goku and he found himself sprinting forwards to catch him.

"Sanzo!"

"Shut up and don't move or I'll drop you!" he grunted, "Who knows where this thing goes..."

Ukoku chuckled behind him, "I know where it goes."

Goku gasped as Sanzo almost dropped him. Ukoku squatted down to the blonde and lent in close, "Tell me Kouryu, does the light of the moon swallow up the darkness of the night or does the darkness of the night swallow up the light of the moon?"

The floor opened even more until the entire hall was vast nothingness and the ikkou fell into what seemed like forever.

Nai peeked around the corner, "Looks like some guards are escorting her somewhere. What do you want to do?"

"I'm going to kill her." Kougaiji said without hesitation.

The god sighed, "Will Lirin be okay with that?"

"Yes."

"As long as you're sure..."

Kougaiji didn't acknowledge her last statement and silently walked down the hall after his stepmother and her attendants. Nai pulled an arrow from the canister on her back and readied herself, taking a deep breath. She hadn't fought alone before. It was odd... and scary.

She approached the grand doors before her and kicked one open. "Hey! The demon turned and she smirked. "Down here!"

Gyumaoh peered down at the woman clad in dazzling white. Her gold eyes mocked him and he roared, "War god!"

She pulled her bow tight and grinned, "Damn straight."

The arrow grew during its flight and pierced the demon's shoulder. He ripped it from himself and brought his axe down on the woman. The floor caved and she landed hard on the rubble beneath her.

"Shit." She wiped some blood from her cheek.

"How dare the gods send another heretic! And a woman! How they have grown soft..." The demon widened the hole in he floor and jumped down to Nai's level. He pointed his axe at her, "You will not win."

Nai grabbed another arrow, "I didn't exactly come this far to loose."

The arrow cut his cheek and as the blood trickled down he realized; this god would not fail. She was not a joke, nor was her coming after him a game. She'd kill him and it would be far worse than when the pervious god won the fight. There would be no resurrection later.

"Stop right there Gyokumen!"

The she-demon turned mid run and almost tripped over her robes. She pointed at Kougaiji and screeched, "Kill him!"

Her guards lept at him, shaking all the while. They knew the prince would kill them and he did. He stepped over their bodies and approached the woman who then took off running.

Gyokumenkoshu ducked into a room and didn't hear the prince in the room with her so she recovered her dignity and glared and theremin queen in her marble prison. "I will kill you before he gets the chance to kill me."

"No, you won't."

She wasn't sure how she ended up on the floor but she had never been more afraid as she saw the venom in Kougaiji's eyes. He looked so much like his father in that moment that it shook shook Gyokumenkoshou to the bone.

"P-prince Kougaiji, please I w-would never..."

"Liar!"

"But, my prince-!"

"Shut up!" He roared, cutting her off. She continued to tremble on the ground as he reached down and captured her upper arm. "Give me back my mother."

Gyokumen stumbled to the base of the marble pillar. The trapped demoness simply stared ahead and Gyokumen greatly wanted everything she had; beauty, power, Gyumoah. She clenched her fists in anger at the thought of the woman breathing again. Then she felt Kougaiji at her back.

"Do it."

She but her lip, she was going to die. She knew it. Kougaiji was going to kill her. "Kougaiji..."

"Get on with it!"

"Let me live. For my baby, for Lirin."

"Awake my mother and I'll consider it."

She pulled the talisman closest to her and the ropes fell away, the marble crumbled, and the rest of the talismans crackled in small fires.

Tanned skin and fiery hair filled Kougaiji's gaze and he sighed, "Mother..."

Gyokumen thought she could escape the room with her life while the Prince was enthralled with the release of his mother. But she felt a sharp pain in her back screamed.

Kougaiji was indifferent as she hit the floor, face first, "My mother will be a better mother to Lirin than you ever were."