Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Metamorphosis ❯ CHAPTER SEVEN: Comfort ( Chapter 7 )
Anime/Manga: Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Drama / Fantasy / Hentai | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 02.03.2003 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.1K | Visits: 1.0K | Status: Work In Progress
© February 4, 2003 By Rory V. Pascual
CHAPTER SEVEN: Comfort
Sanzo was sitting on the windowsill, contemplatively tracing the darkening bruise at the right corner of his mouth. He didn't turn when the door to the chamber squeaked open and Kougaiji entered.
"You went to him again, didn't you," the priest said listlessly, with a hint of accusation in his voice.
Feeling suddenly ashamed, Kougaiji yanked the lapel of his robe close to hide the red love bites on his neck and shoulders. Lowering his gaze to a point between his toes, he simply replied, "Hai," followed by a whispered, "Gomen."
Sanzo sighed wearily. "No, I'm the one who should apologize to you. If I hadn't been so pig-headed again, Gyumao would never have summoned you. It shouldn't be you who's doing this. If only the Three Aspects hadn't placed these damned defenses on my body...."
The youkai prince sat down on the sill before him. "You're a monk; it's expected. It's not your fault that your virtue is protected so strongly. Anyway, there are good days and there are bad days. Despite the...argument...that you had with my father, this is...probably...one of those good days. Touchan fell asleep before he could...you know."
The monk breathed in relief. "Thank goodness! I guess I must've worn him out."
There was a strange look in Kougaiji's eyes as he gazed at the young man before him. "You've been doing something to my father, haven't you. There are days when he seems almost sane, and it's usually after you spent a lengthy amount of time with him."
"Please believe me when I tell you that I don't know what exactly I've been doing. The garden, your mother, your father..." Sanzo looked at his hands. "I really don't know, Kou. It seems as if my...power...is acting on its own accord. I never knew I possessed these abilities, or how I even came by them. Being an orphan found floating in a basket in a river, I don't know anything about my past." Sorrow crossed his handsome features. "Perhaps, if I had known even before that I had these Gifts, I could've saved my Master Komyo, and all those I've lost."
A warm, gentle hand touched his cheek. Sanzo lifted his head to find himself staring into Kougaiji's kind, understanding eyes.
"Maybe it's because you created a wall around your heart," the young demon suggested. "That you've willed yourself not to care. I think you're afraid to lose those you love."
A dark frown creased Sanzo's brow as he snorted. "I love no one!"
"You keep on saying that, but your actions speak otherwise. The will of your heart is stronger, Sanzo. It's making you perform miracles. If only you will allow yourself to let go, to let yourself feel again, to love...."
The priest stubbornly shook his head as he retorted, "For what? To lose everything? You don't know how my world ended when Komyo Sanzo died saving my life. I swore that I would never let anyone get close to me again."
"But I do know how you feel, Sanzo. I live with sorrow and misery everyday, knowing that every time night falls, I still haven't freed my beloved mother. I failed her, and now I have failed Lirin, Dokugakuji and Yaone as well." Kougaiji then mused, "Sanzo, do you know how terrible you are at making promises? For someone who preaches non-attachment, you have three good friends who are extremely loyal to you, just like my friends are to me."
"And look where it got them. On the run, suffering...and it's all because of me. That night that your father...used...me in the meditation chamber, I unconsciously sent what was being done to me to them. They took the brunt of the pain and humiliation, especially Gojyo. And then, Gyumao...he...I don't know how he did it, but he raped Gojyo. Gods! I didn't mean for it to happen! The last thing I wanted was for Gojyo to take my place, to be the one abused instead of me!"
"Yes, Sanzo, I know. I felt what you went through, remember? But your friends, especially Gojyo, helped you to survive, didn't they? They did it with no regrets. Yaone and Dokugakuji would willingly do the same for me if we shared the same connection that you four obviously have. That's why I envy you. At least there is a possible way for you to know how they are, while I..."
"No, I won't use my Gifts to contact them, not after what happened! I can't let Gyumao hurt the others as well!" He added shamefully, "I can't face them, not after what I had done to them."
Then, Sanzo started as Kougaiji lifted his left hand to join the other, and cupped the monk's face tenderly. "Sanzo, did you hear what you just said? You've just admitted to me how much you do care for Hakkai, Gojyo and Goku. How long are you going to keep denying what's inside your heart? Is it so difficult to admit how much you care about someone? I..." A moment's hesitation. "I know I care about you, and I won't lie to you about how I feel."
Sanzo's amethyst eyes flew wide as Kougaiji kissed him tenderly. He tasted the salt of bitter tears through the joining of their mouths, and at first he thought it was the youkai prince who was weeping. But Kou's eyes were clear. The realization that the tears were pouring from his lavender orbs caused the sobs he was holding back to rush up in a torrent.
Flinging his arms around the young demon, Sanzo wailed in misery, "Gods, Kou! I miss them so much! I would give anything to be with Goku, Hakkai and Gojyo right now!"
Kougaiji hugged the lonely priest. "That's it, Sanzo! Cry it all out. Do you see now how easy it is to love someone? The gods only know how much I cried over Dokugaku and Lirin."
"Are we ever going to see them again?"
"I have no doubt that we will. We have to keep that hope burning inside our hearts. In the meantime, we could just hang on to each other."
Sanzo looked up, a timid smile on his lips. "Aren't we already doing that?"
Kougaiji nodded as he smiled as well. "Yes, we are, aren't we?"
Hakkai was frowning in deep concentration at the map before him. By his estimation, they were close to a week's drive to Tofuugai. So close and yet so far. He was on the verge of weeping in frustration.
No one spoke about what happened that night. Neither did Dokugakuji and Yaone tell them about the terrible nightmare that had awaken them from peaceful slumber a month back, a nightmare that left the two youkai bundles of trembling nerves and tears. It was obvious to all that Sanzo and Kougaiji were in greater danger now than when they had left them at Houtou Castle.
Closing his eyes, he prayed in earnest, Sanzo, Kougaiji-sama...I'm so sorry it's taking so long for us to return. But please try to hang on.
"What's that you have there, Goku?" Gojyo's cheerful voice snapped him out of his reverie.
"It's none of your business, ero kappa!" Goku retorted.
Hakkai turned towards the bed to find Gojyo trying to pry what Goku was hiding out of his hand.
"Come on, baka saru!" Gojyo wheedled him. "I want to see!"
"And I told you to mind your own business!" Goku yelled back, adamant about keeping his precious treasure a secret.
Hakkai had to shake his head and mutter, "So peaceful!" Even without Sanzo, despite what had happened to them, they all seemed to have bounced back to normal.
As the two friends struggled, Gojyo somehow managed to twist Goku's wrist. The pain caused the boy's clenched fist to open and something shiny flew out of his hand, landing right on top of Hakkai's map.
Running to his friend's side, Gojyo saw Hakkai pick up the gold ring. "Is that all?" the half-breed asked in mock dismay. "A ring? I thought you were hiding some sweets."
Hakkai looked closely at the doves and roses etched on the band. "It's a beautiful ring, Goku. Where on earth did you get this?"
To their shock, Goku snatched the ring back in anger. Taking a step back, he said defensively, "I didn't steal it!"
"No one says you did, Goku," Hakkai replied gently.
"I...I found it in the woods," the boy stammered. "Since it obviously did not belong to anyone, I decided to keep it."
"If you're so overprotective of it," Gojyo remarked dryly, "why don't you put it on your finger so you won't lose it?"
Goku looked away in discomfort, chewing on his lower lip. "It's not mine," he mumbled. "I'm going to give it to someone."
"Ooooh! Our little saru is now a man!" the half-breed teased the nervous boy. "Who's the lucky lady, Goku? Don't tell me it's Yaone! You know how smitten she is with Kougaiji."
Noting the boy's silence, Hakkai said thoughtfully, "It's not a girl, is it, Goku."
Gojyo barely stifled his gasp, realizing whom the ring was intended for.
"So what if I'm going to give this ring to Sanzo?" Goku blurted out, tears filling his golden eyes. "Is it bad to give him a present to show him how much I love him?"
He was about to run away, but Hakkai stopped his departure by enfolding the troubled saru in his embrace. "We're not saying it's wrong, Goku."
Goku jerked himself out of Hakkai's grasp. "I'm not like you and Gojyo! I can't sit around, be strong and pretend that I'm not affected by Sanzo's absence! You two don't seem to care that he's in trouble back there in Houtou Castle!"
At that remark, Gojyo's temper flared up. "Are you saying that we don't care about Sanzo? Damn you, baka saru, for even daring to accuse us of that! You have no idea how much this is destroying us!" Facing the now petrified boy, he raged, "You're not the only one who's dying of loneliness, Goku! You're not the only yearning for love in this damned place!"
Saying this, Gojyo stormed outside the room and slammed the door behind him.
Goku was stricken by the half-breed's reaction. Guilty tears streaming from his eyes, he bowed to Hakkai, mumbling, "Gomen!", and darted into the adjoining room.
His nerves already frayed by the tension, Hakkai stormed after Gojyo. He found the half-youkai snatching a bottle of cheap whiskey from the startled chambermaid's tray. For a second, Gojyo paused, a scowl darkening his handsome features at the sight of his friend. Without saying a word, he entered the room he shared with Dokugakuji. Before the door could be locked, Hakkai went in after him.
"You had no right to do that to Goku!" he declared, the reproach heavy in his words.
"Why not?" Gojyo asked in turn. "Was I wrong to tell him the truth? That we're all smitten with that namagusa bouzu like a bunch of lovesick baka!"
"You make it sound like a terrible thing, that what we feel for Sanzo is something filthy!"
"I'm not saying that it's filthy, but it's terrible just the same because of what it's doing to us. In case you haven't noticed, Hakkai, we're slowly drifting apart! Since when did we start sleeping in separate rooms? Why? Being the so-called 'ero kappa', are you afraid that I might molest you or Goku?"
"Is that what this is all about?" Hakkai angrily untied his sash and removed the laces of his shirt. "Why didn't you tell me you just wanted a quick fuck? I'll be very happy to oblige you!"
Gojyo's face whitened at that last. Then, slowly, sheer anger transformed his handsome face into a mask of repressed hatred. "Do you think I'll let you or anyone else touch me the same way Gyumao had?" he hissed menacingly.
Hakkai was startled by that reply. "Gojyo..."
To his greater shock, Gojyo broke the whiskey bottle on the edge of the table. As Hakkai looked on in horror, the half-breed laid the jagged edge of the bottle over his throat.
"If you dare to come closer, if you dare to even touch me..." Gojyo warned him, nicking the skin where his artery pulsated that blood was drawn. "...I swear I'll kill myself!"
Realizing now that the trauma to Gojyo was far greater than he had imagined, Hakkai raised a pleading hand to his friend. "Gojyo, let go of the bottle. We must talk about this."
Gojyo burst into hysterical laughter. "What is there to talk about? Tell me, Hakkai. Do you think you're good enough for an ero like me? Oh, please don't cheapen yourself on my account! Besides, after what that hentai Demon King did to me, I'm as worthless as shit! Even if Gyumao hadn't raped me, I know damned well that the only person who's good enough for you is Sanzo-sama! And I mustn't forget that dead sister of yours! Keeping it all in the family, aren't you, you accursed, hypocritical pervert!"
Despite Gojyo's warning, Hakkai crossed the distance between them in an instant. A ringing slap fell upon the half-breed's cheek. At once, Gojyo's crimson eyes blazed with fury.
Dokugakuji and Yaone were passing through the hallway, carrying the supplies they had bought, when they heard Gojyo bellow, "GET OUT! GET THE HELL OUT!"
To their shock, Hakkai was brutally shoved outside the room, a broken whiskey bottle hitting the wall at the side of the gentle youth's head. As it shattered into a hundred pieces, a shard cut Hakkai's cheek. The door was banged shut. For a long while, the two youkai could only stare in stunned silence at the young man who was breathing heavily before them.
Noticing them at last, Hakkai turned to Yaone and Dokugakuji, his face wet with his tears. Breathing out a quick "Sumimasen!", he hurried into his own room, leaving the two standing in the hallway in confusion.
Sighing, Dokugakuji told Yaone, "I saw a fine restaurant earlier. How about we go there right now? My treat."
Yaone gazed at the three locked doors of their travel companions. Nodding to her friend, she answered in agreement, "Sounds like a good idea."
Sanzo tossed and turned in his bed. Groaning, he snatched the pillow and pressed it over his head to muffle those sounds, but he knew it was useless, for it was not his ears but his mind that was receiving those heartbreaking noises.
"Who's crying?" the monk murmured, his arms lifting to the ceiling as if offering an embrace to whoever it was that was weeping. "Please! Please don't cry!"
Then, Sanzo heard three voices sob his name, and his soul instantly flew out of his body, reaching out to the people who had called out to him. The three young men whom he loved with all his heart.
It was the middle of the night when Yaone and Dokugakuji returned to the inn, going up to the floor where their rooms were.
"I hope they've finally settled whatever differences they have," Dokugaku mumbled wearily. "Gojyo could be quite a pain to be with when he's in a snit."
"We were wrong not to have pressed our assistance towards him...after what Gyumao did to him," Yaone said sadly. "We should've known that he was traumatized by it."
"He acted so normal, didn't he? He sure fooled us all. Gojyo was always a good actor. You never knew that he was hurting deep inside."
"You're his brother, Dokugakuji. Maybe you could help me mend things between them," Yaone then suggested. "You could listen to him and be a shoulder for him to cry on. I'll have a talk with Hakkai and Goku as well. These past few months have been very difficult them."
"And we're not having a hard time as well, so far away from Kou?" Dokugakuji chewed contemplatively on his lower lip. "Lirin was right. We should never have left Kougaiji. We should be at his side right now, protecting him." He shuddered all over. "That horrible dream...."
Yaone pressed her hand to his mouth before he could continue. "I don't want to talk about it. I want to hold on to what little hope I have left that he's all right."
"But what if...."
"Please don't say anymore!" she cried, a tear falling from the corner of her eye. "Please don't make it more difficult than it already is!"
Chastened, Dokugakuji embraced her comfortingly and said in apology, "Gomen ne, Yaone. I didn't mean to press the issue."
"It's all right. I understand," Yaone answered in reassurance, a bit embarrassed by her sudden outburst. "We're both worried about Kougaiji-sama. There's nothing I want more on this earth than to go back to the castle and be with our prince, but our place is here for now, with them. They need us, Dokugakuji, to keep them together more than anything else. Hakkai-san, Gojyo-san and Goku-san...they're our only hope of freeing them."
"That's going to be difficult," Dokugakuji remarked in uncertainty. "We're very poor substitutes for Sanzo-sama."
"Then we simply do the best we can," put in Yaone. Pausing before Hakkai's room, she quietly knocked on the door, hoping to have a talk with the gentle young man. When no one answered, Yaone pushed the door open, calling out softly, "Hakkai-san? May I talk with you for...."
Suddenly, however, Yaone let out a surprised gasp.
Hearing that startled sound, Dokugakuji hurried to her side. "What is it, Yaone? What's wrong?"
The two youkai froze at the doorway, shocked by the unexpected sight that greeted them.
The glowing figure of Genjo Sanzo was leaning over Hakkai's slumbering, yet still weeping, form. There was an uncharacteristic expression of deep sadness on the monk's face as he reached down to tease the bangs away from Hakkai's forehead. Sorrow immediately turned to dismay as his hand passed right through his friend. Many times, Sanzo tried to touch him, but to no avail. One last failed attempt to embrace Hakkai caused the priest to fall into despair. Pressing a hand to his mouth, he fell to his knees beside the bed, crying inconsolably.
Yaone wanted to approach that weeping wraith, but Dokugakuji held her back with a shake of his head.
When he had regained a little of his composure, Sanzo stood up. With a look of longing in his lavender eyes, he bent down and gave his friend a ghostly kiss on the brow. There was a golden twinkle at that wispy contact between soft lips and forehead. To the surprise of Yaone and Dokugakuji, calm settled on Hakkai's handsome face. There was even a hint of a smile on his lips.
Sanzo then went into Gojyo's room, his astral form going right through the side door. Going after him, the two youkai opened the door a crack and peeked inside. Again, the monk was trying to touch the troubled half-breed. Seeing that it was hopeless, again, he satisfied himself with a kiss on his friend's forehead.
It was Gojyo who gave voice to what was inside his heart. His hand reaching out to embrace Sanzo, a tear trickling from his right eye, he whispered, "I love you so much, Sanzo. I will do anything for you." But his arm went right through the priest's form, and instead, settled around the pillow, which he hugged close to his body.
At that declaration, renewed tears started to flow from Sanzo's eyes. However, when he entered Goku's room, the monk could no longer restrain his emotions. Sitting down on the sobbing saru's bed, there was a stricken expression on the priest's face, realizing that he could not give the kind of comfort that Goku truly needed. He could only wring his hands helplessly over his breast, despairing at his inability to console his friends.
But the needs of his heart were stronger.
As he bent down to kiss Goku on the forehead, just like the others, a miracle occurred. His right hand suddenly made contact with skin. For a moment, Sanzo thought it was his mind playing tricks on him. However, as he reached for the saru once more, his fingertips again encountered warm skin. Oblivious to the fact that he was now surrounded by a sky blue aura, Sanzo gathered Goku onto his lap and simply held the poor boy in his arms.
Yaone couldn't hold back her tears as she watched the monk comfort Goku. Dokugakuji, on the other hand, was awe-struck by the god-like power that Sanzo was manifesting. Even when they had confronted Gyumao, the Demon King's aura was nothing compared to the aura of light and life that the priest was now radiating with.
Kissing Goku tenderly on the lips, Sanzo carefully lowered him onto the bed, pleased by the tender smile that now lit up the saru's face. Sensing the presence of the two youkai at last, Sanzo lifted his head and looked at them warily.
"Sanzo-sama..." Yaone began hesitantly. "May we please speak to you? Even for a few minutes."
A frown of pain creased Sanzo's brow for a moment, as if it were difficult for him to stay much longer. Surprisingly, however, unlike before when he always refused to heed their pleas, the monk gave in to their request, motioning for them to follow him in the adjoining room.
Once inside, Dokugakuji asked in a hushed tone of voice, "Sanzo-sama? Are...are you dead?"
There was a look of confusion on the priest's face. Then, he slowly shook his head. Still, the confusion remained. It was obvious to the two youkai that Sanzo was unsure of how he came to arrive at the inn.
Yaone then asked in concern, "Are you all right? We were so worried about you, after that...night. And Lirin...and Kougaiji-sama. Are they well too?"
Sanzo beamed, hearing Lirin's name. With graceful hand gestures, he motioned that the little girl had been taking care of them. But he stopped at once, deliberately avoiding the topic of the youkai prince.
"We've all had terrible nightmares these past few weeks," Dokugakuji decided to go straight to the point. "Please tell us that's all they were. Just bad dreams. That nothing happened."
"Please, Sanzo-sama!" Yaone begged in earnest. "Please tell us that everything's all right with you at the castle!"
Sanzo hesitated for a moment, the warring emotions obvious on his handsome face. He tilted his head to the side and showed them the dark bruise on the right corner of his mouth. Then, lowering his gaze in shame, he pulled up his black body shirt, revealing to the shocked youkai the marks of his brutal tryst with Gyumao.
"Gyumao-sama..." Yaone asked haltingly. "Did he..."
The priest shook his head, but judging from those marks, Dokugakuji knew that the Demon King had found ways to sate his lust upon Sanzo without claiming the last vestige of his innocence.
Fear rising inside his heart, Dokugakuji dared to ask the inevitable. "Sanzo-sama...what about Kougaiji?"
The stricken expression on Sanzo's face was answer enough. Unable to control her emotions, Yaone buried her face in Dokugakuji's shoulder and cried. Dokugakuji saw the monk mouth over and over again in guilt, "Gomen. Gomen. Gomen."
Nodding in understanding, he smiled reassuringly at the priest. "Kou sacrificed himself to save you, didn't he. There's nothing for you to be sorry for. That's how he is. That means Kou cares about you." Dokugakuji then added, "Yaone and I have been trying our best to take care of your friends for you, but it's been difficult. They had a bitter argument today."
Judging from the sorrow on Sanzo's face, the youkai knew that the priest was aware that his absence was the cause of the tension among his friends.
"Don't think about it. You must do what you have to do to survive, Sanzo-sama. You and Kougaiji. Both of you should feel no shame. Whatever it is that Gyumao is demanding you to do for him, always remember that you don't do it of your own free will, " Dokugakuji said firmly.
Sanzo nodded slowly, but Dokugakuji could see that the monk was close to the breaking point.
Finally regaining control of herself, Yaone wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "Please try to hang on, Sanzo-sama. Once we reach Tofuugai, we'll speak to the Goddess of Mercy and she'll tell us what to do so we could free you."
Sanzo stared at them in perplexity. The Goddess of Mercy? Kanzeon Bosatsu?
"The Three Aspects told us that Kanzeon Bosatsu knows how we could defeat Gyumao and free you," explained Dokugakuji. "When Gojyo and the others received your mind message about Tofuugai, we assumed it to be the place where we could summon Kanzeon Bosatsu and request for her intercession." He looked at the priest hopefully. "Please tell us we're on the right track, Sanzo-sama. We're already losing hope that we could ever free you."
At first, Sanzo could not answer. Then, forcing a hopeful smile on his lips, he nodded eagerly. Feigning pain once more, the priest waved to them that he must go. Before the two youkai could ask him any more questions, Sanzo vanished.
Yaone couldn't help but breathe a relieved sigh. "Thank the gods! We're only a week away from Tofuugai. All this will be over very soon."
But Dokugakuji was not convinced. "I'm not too sure. I think Sanzo-sama is hiding something from us."
"We must trust him, Dokugakuji," she advised her friend. "Tofuugai. It's our only hope."
Sanzo was sitting up on his bed, his face buried in his hands, weeping bitterly at the fact that he had just lied to Dokugakuji and Yaone. He had no idea what the Three Aspects had told his friends, but he could not allow them to seek out Kanzeon Bosatsu. There was only one path existing to the Goddess of Mercy. If they find her, Hakkai, Gojyo, Goku, and perhaps Yaone and Dokugakuji as well, will be lost to them forever.
Slowly, he stood up, being careful not to jostle Kougaiji out of his slumber. Sanzo padded inside the bathroom, and locked the door, making sure that he would not be disturbed.
Facing the mirror, Sanzo hesitated for a moment, wondering if he could consciously use his abilities to perform this important task. Given the necessity, however, he forced himself to act.
Staring at his reflection, the priest concentrated, willing his mind to reach out to the youkai woman who now led that hidden city in the desert. A woman with great power, just like her former mentor, the great Sokushinbutsu Wuhan. Sure enough, his reflection in the mirror began to waver, slowly changing form. Then, in a few minutes, the youkai herself was staring back at him.
:Sanzo-sama!: she exclaimed in surprise. :This is most unexpected! I never thought I'd hear from you again, and certainly not in this manner.:
:I cannot speak long with you, Kouru-san,: said Sanzo urgently. :I do not want our conversation to be detected by someone here.:
:Where are you? And is that a bruise on your face? Are you hurt?:
:I am a prisoner here at Houtou Castle.: With great hesitation and shame, the monk added, :I...I am now whore to the Demon King Gyumao.:
Kouru gasped at that last statement. :But how...why...:
:My present situation is not important,: Sanzo immediately cut her off. :What is important to me is the safety of my friends. You know them, Kouru-san. Hakkai, Gojyo and Goku are heading to Tofuugai, together with the friends of Gyumao's son, who is also a prisoner here with me. I beg you to give them sanctuary. Gyumao has threatened that he would hurt them. He had already raped Gojyo. I don't want any of them to come to any more harm.:
Kouru looked curiously at the priest. :But there is something else about this matter that's troubling you.:
:Hai. My friends have been told by the Three Aspects to seek out Kanzeon Bosatsu. Unwittingly, I have made them believe that they could find an audience with the Goddess of Mercy at Tofuugai, which is just as well. I cannot allow this meeting with Kanzeon Bosatsu to happen.: He then said meaningfully, :I think you understand what I'm trying to say.:
:Yes, I do,: she nodded knowingly. :But if they are so determined to find Kanzeon Bosatsu, they would just as quickly leave if they learn that we don't have the means to summon her here.:
:If you have to imprison them, Kouru-san, then do it. Once they arrive at Tofuugai, they are to be forbidden from ever leaving the city.:
:Sanzo-sama, what about you?:
:The path has brought me to this place. I will stay, and I will do everything in my power to stop the Demon King, even if I have to do it alone and at the cost of my life. What is holding me back are my friends. I desire some small measure of comfort in the knowledge that my friends would be safe there, away from Gyumao's clutches. Knowing this, I could do what needs to be done to save Togenkyo from the evil that is consuming it.: Sanzo then asked the youkai, :Could I count on you to help me, Kouru-san?:
:After the things that you have done for us, Sanzo-sama,: Kouru began, :it's the least we could do.:
:Arigato, Kouru-san,: Sanzo said in relief as he gradually cut the connection between them. :You have eased the worries from my heart.:
Kouru breathed in deeply as Sanzo's image faded from her dresser mirror.
Standing from her seat, she went out of her chamber and into the hallway. With her great sash fluttering around her, Kouru descended several flights of stairs, heading for the secret room in the basement. Laying her palm over the runes carved on the side, the huge stone doors slid to the sides. Entering the chamber, Kouru beheld a human-sized oval mirror floating in the center of an elaborate circular design, with a blazing sun in the middle surrounded by flowing Sanskrit script. There were four tilted slabs of stone with manacles on them standing outside this elaborate design.
"Oh, Sanzo-sama!" Kouru murmured in sorrow as she gazed at the glowing glass before her. "What would you do if you find out that you have, indeed, pointed your friends in the right direction?"
CONTINUED IN CHAPTER EIGHT...
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