Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction / Saiyuki Reload Fan Fiction / Saiyuki Reload Gunlock Fan Fiction ❯ Cho Hakkai: Murderer? ❯ Chapter 6

Disclaimer: "Saiyuki" and all of its characters belong to and were created by Kazuya Minekura. In this story they are used without prior permission. No profit is made through this story.

 

Cho Hakkai: Murderer?

Chapter 6

"Yeah. And where's Kougaiji?" Goku sounded eager. Gojyo guessed his younger friend could use a fight to let some of his built-up frustration out.

 

Yaone did not answer, but anxiously swept her eyes over the camp. "Hakkai- san?" she whispered. "Is it true then?" She turned to Gojyo. "Gojyo-san, where is Hakkai-san?" She bit her lower lip as she waited for the answer.

 

Gojyo watched her intently. Apparently she knew something. Before he could answer, Sanzo did. "Hakkai's not here. He's in jail for murder."

 

"For murder," Yaone repeated. She did not sound surprised, only sad.

 

"What's that fucking got to do with you?" Gojyo snapped. "If you know something about this mess, then spit it out, or else get the hell out of here." He could almost hear Hakkai scolding him for that outburst at a lady, but he didn't care. "Are you and that youkai prince of yours behind all this? 'Cause if you are, I'll beat the shit out of you."

 

Yaone shook her head. "No, Gojyo-san, we have nothing to do with this." She looked at Gojyo with a sympathetic expression. "But I think I know who does."

 

"Care to tell us?" Sanzo asked.

 

"Of course, Sanzo-san," she agreed. "May I...?" She made a gesture to ask if she could sit down, and Sanzo nodded.

 

They all sat down and waited for Yaone to tell them what she knew. She was silent for a moment, as if she did not know where to start.

 

"I overheard bits and pieces of a conversation yesterday evening," she finally said. "A conversation between Nii-hakase and one of his protégées." She stopped again.

 

"Go on," Goku encouraged. "What about it?"

 

"Well," Yaone hesitated slightly. "I didn't hear very much, they spoke in low voices, but it seems Nii-hakase's protégée got a couple of potions from Nii-hakase. One that makes people forget about meeting you, and one that I think has something to do with manipulating dreams, or the mind, or maybe both." She looked at each of the three young men in turn. "Does this make any sense to you?"

 

"If someone has used a potion on us to make us forget him, then we obviously can't remember him," Sanzo said sarcastically. "I don't know about the others, but my dreams have not been out of the ordinary. What does this have to do with Hakkai?"

 

Gojyo spoke up. "Hakkai has been having disturbing dreams... for quite a while."

 

Sanzo looked up. "What kind of dreams?"

 

"Dreams about him murdering people," said Gojyo. "He's been really worried about it, too."

 

Sanzo frowned. "So someone has given Hakkai a potion to manipulate his dreams, and then given us all a potion to make us forget him? Why?"

 

"Not him. Her, I think," said Yaone. "At least I got the impression that it was Nii-hakase's protégée who has used the potions. And she's a girl."

 

"How did you suspect it had something do to with us, Yaone?" Goku asked.

 

"I heard the girl mention two names, 'Hakkai' and 'Gonou'," Yaone answered. "She also laughed and said that he was done for. That made me wor... wonder what had happened."

 

"Kougaiji knows you're here?" Gojyo wondered.

 

Yaone straightened. "I wouldn't go behind Kougaiji-sama's back. He told me I could go, but I had to handle it myself."

 

"Handle what?" Gojyo asked irritated. "Sure, you've given us an explanation as to why this has happened, but I don't see you can do anything about it."

 

"Oh," Yaone blushed a little and took up a small glass bottle with pink liquid in. "This is the reason why I didn't get here earlier." She handed the potion to Sanzo, who accepted it without expression. "I know about potions that make people forget about someone, so I made this antidote. I don't know if it will help, but if you drink it, you'll all remember what happened if the girl came to you."

 

"Wow, that's great!" Goku brightened. "Thanks, Yaone."

 

Gojyo looked at the bottle in Sanzo's hand. Maybe this could give them the answers they needed. He was eager to drink, but Sanzo did not look like he was going to drink it or hand it over anytime soon.

 

"Why should I trust you?" Sanzo asked icily. "When one of our enemies voluntarily offers to help us, I have to ask myself, 'why?'."

 

"I trust her," Goku said steadily, before Yaone could respond. "I don't believe she means Hakkai any harm." He smiled at the girl. "And I don't think you would try to poison us again. Right, Yaone?"

 

Yaone nodded. "I wouldn't do that again. Not like this."

 

Sanzo did not look convinced.

 

"Dammit, monk," Gojyo yelled impatiently. "Give me that bottle if you don't have the guts to drink it yourself."

 

Yaone looked nervously at the two companions, who cast angry glances at each other. "I have to leave now," she said. "Kougaiji-sama made me promise not to stay away too long." In an almost pleading voice she told them, "I promise I'm only trying to help. This will not hurt you; all it does is give back your memories." Then she was gone.

 

Sanzo and Gojyo hardly noticed her disappearance. They glared at each other until Sanzo, without releasing Gojyo's eyes with his own, opened the bottle and drank. He then handed it to Gojyo with a snort.

 

Gojyo took the bottle and studied Sanzo. "Do you remember anything?"

 

Sanzo's face was blank. "Yes," he answered after a moment.

 

"What?" Gojyo asked.

 

"Drink for yourself and find out, kappa," came the irritated answer.

 

Gojyo raised the bottle to his mouth and gulped down a sip of the liquid. As he passed it to Goku, who eagerly took it and drank, the memories flooded back into Gojyo's mind.

 

They had been sitting around a campfire when Goku had said, "Someone's coming," as he pointed at a person walking towards them.

 

Gojyo had raised his head and seen a girl in her late teens or early twenties headed straight to their camp. She looked pleasant enough to make Gojyo take a second look, but he had stopped, a little embarrassed, as soon as he saw Hakkai. His lover had an amused smile on his lips, and his eyes said, "You can look as much as you want, I know that's all you're going to do." Gojyo had grinned at him and gotten a grin back.

 

"Excuse me," the girl had said as she reached them. "I wonder if you could give me some water, please."

 

"Sure." Goku had jumped up, found the water canteen and poured some water into a cup before any of the others had even started to react. Gojyo had been quite amused that the monkey had beaten him to helping the girl.

 

Hakkai had stared at the girl with an expression of not wanting to believe his eyes. He had looked like he wanted to hide, but did not do anything so he would not catch the girl's attention.

 

The girl had accepted the water with a graceful "thank you" and had let her eyes rest on each one of them as she drank the water. When her eyes had caught Hakkai, she had gasped. "Gonou?" she had questioned as though she could not believe what she saw.

 

Hakkai had unwillingly met the girl's eyes, but he had acknowledged her with a nod. "Tomi-san." He had looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

 

Gojyo had frowned. He had not liked the look on Hakkai's face when he saw the girl.

 

"You know this girl, Hakkai?" Goku had asked cheerily. "Hi, I'm Goku," he had told the girl.

 

"Tomi," the girl had smiled to him. "Hakkai? Is that what you call yourself now?" she had asked, again facing Hakkai.

 

Hakkai had nodded, but had not said anything more.

 

Sanzo and Gojyo had both been standing watching, with their arms crossed, on each side of the fireplace. Gojyo had had a very bad feeling about this. Who was this girl, and why was Hakkai looking so miserable at the sight of her?

 

Tomi had turned to Goku. "Please, would you be kind enough to give me some more water? In a bigger cup? I'm really thirsty. And I have a bit of a headache."

 

Goku immediately had sprung up, gotten a bowl that could serve as a big cup, and filled it with water. Smiling, he had given the bowl to the girl.

 

"Thank you," Tomi had smiled back to him.

 

"Can I give you something for the headache?" Hakkai had asked, his voice strained but polite.

 

"Oh, no, that won't be necessary." Tomi had taken off her backpack and searched for something inside it. "I've got what I need right here." She had found a small paper bag and opened it. Gojyo had watched as she emptied the bag's green powder contents into the bowl. Thick, dark smoke had immediately burst from the bowl and, in an instant, had covered them all. Gojyo had fallen to the ground, and when the smoke disappeared he had found he could not move. He could see that the others were on the ground, too.

 

The girl had stood there indifferently, her friendly smile altogether vanished. Instead she had laughed crazily and gone to kneel beside Hakkai. "I've got you now, Gonou. I've finally got you. I can see you remember me, too. And believe me I have never forgotten you. Oh, no. How could I forget the man who murdered my entire family?"

 

Gojyo had been lying facing Hakkai and had seen the pain in his friend's eyes. By her words Gojyo had understood that she was from Gonou's village, where he had lived with Kanan. So, she was out seeking revenge. Gojyo could understand her sorrow, but this was not right. Fear of what she might do to his lover had flooded inside him, but he had been as helpless as any of them.

 

Tomi had reached for her backpack again and found a small bottle. She smiled wickedly. "I could kill you here and now, Gonou. But I want you to suffer before you die." She had held up the bottle, opened it, and forced its contents into Hakkai's mouth, making sure he swallowed. "Now I can control your dreams, and even some of your thoughts and feelings... and the dreams will not be pleasant ones." She had laughed again. "We have a plan, my benefactor and I, what you'll soon find out."

 

She had risen and looked at all of them. "Don't think you can come after me. The smoke you've inhaled will make you forget me a couple of minutes after I've disappeared."

 

She once again had turned to Hakkai. "Did you ever know that I had a crush on you? Every day when I went to school to get my little brother, I hoped you would notice me." Her eyes had become steel. "But I guess it was my luck you didn't notice me that day you went insane.

My brother didn't have that luck, nor my mother or my father. And now it turns out it was your bad luck you didn't notice me, because now you're getting it back." She smiled insanely. "I could kill your friends, you know. That would make you suffer. But my benefactor seems to think it's more fun to keep them alive. He says that way they will suffer when you're gone." She shrugged. "He's got his reasons, I've got mine. I owe him, so I won't kill them." She had hesitated, then had knelt again beside Hakkai. "But you are beautiful. I wish things had been different." Slowly she had leaned forward and placed a kiss on Hakkai's lips. The sight of the girl's lips on Hakkai's had made Gojyo furious, but all he could do was glare.

 

Gojyo had watched as she took the bowl, emptied it, and rinsed it with clean water. She had chuckled. "When you can move again, you won't remember me anymore. Bye, everybody."

 

After that they had all lain motionless for about ten more minutes, and during that time their memories had faded away. When they were able to move again, they did not even remember they had been immobilized.

 

Gojyo closed his eyes, coming back to the present. Oh gods, the girl... She had been in the park, too, following the two boys.

 

"That girl!" Goku gasped beside him. "She wanted revenge on Hakkai!"

 

"I saw her again after that first time," Gojyo said, and told his companions about what he had seen in the park. "And I think Hakkai saw her inside the house with the boys."

 

"That means she is the murderer," said Goku, "not Hakkai."

 

"Unless she made him do it," answered Sanzo calmly.

 

"Could be," Gojyo agreed. "But either way, Hakkai is not responsible."

 

"True, but you can't expect the townspeople to believe you," Sanzo said.

 

"No, if the suspected murderer's half-breed lover said an unknown girl did it, they would just throw him in the cell beside Hakkai's," Goku observed.

 

Gojyo was relieved to get an explanation of what had happened, and he could feel the tension among the three of them shattering - at least the extra tension that had been added since Hakkai got arrested. He glanced at Sanzo. "We won't have to convince them. All we have to do is another jailbreak tonight, and convince Hakkai he didn't do it."

 

"And how many guards do you plan to fight this time?" asked Sanzo sardonically. "It's not like they don't know it was you who took down all the guards last night. They might even move him to a more secure place."

 

"Then you'd better get into that fucking town again and find out, you stinking monk!" Gojyo glared angrily at Sanzo, knowing this outburst would not help him make the monk do what he wanted him to do. Dammit, this was really getting to him. He turned away from Sanzo, not wanting to hear his sarcastic response.

 

"Of course I will," Sanzo answered calmly, and Gojyo hastily turned to face him. Sanzo smirked. "Don't look so surprised, half-breed. I know what has to be done, and it's damned true you can't be seen there right now."

 

"No," said Goku thoughtfully. "It's a wonder no one has come out here yet to put you in jail, too, Gojyo. But," he looked between the trees down the road, "I think they're coming now."

 

TBC