Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Metamorphosis ❯ CHAPTER TEN: Flight ( Chapter 10 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR: The recent downtime at MediaMiner made me unable to post these two chapters at an earlier date. Since I know many of you are awaiting the next chapters of this story, I highly recommend that you either visit my Yaoi Anthology website at http://www.geocities.com/roryheadmav/index.html OR join my mailing list at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/y_anthology to get the latest updates. I always update my website first. MediaMiner and Saiyuki.com are the next sites that get updated. Also, because I'm having difficulty in editing my stories at MediaMiner, any noted corrections by you, the reader, are made in the website. Again, in the event that such a downtime occurs in the future, please check my website for updates.

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CHAPTER TEN: Flight

Kougaiji led a despondent Sanzo back to their chamber. As he opened the door, Lirin immediately bounded towards them, still awake and waiting, after the Demon King had summoned them.

Seeing how the priest was staring blankly into space, she asked worriedly, "Oniichan…what happened to Sanzo-sama? Did Touchan?"

The youkai prince shook his head as he gently bade Sanzo to sit down on the bed. Wiping away the tears that seemed to leak continuously from those anguished lavender eyes, Kougaiji said, "I'll return to Touchan, Sanzo. I'll do whatever it takes to get his permission for you to go to Tofuugai."

"Tofuugai?" Lirin inquired again, but Kougaiji hushed her.

"You'll just be wasting your time, Kougaiji," Sanzo told him, his voice devoid of emotion. "He'll never allow me to leave Houtou Castle. The only way I could leave this damned place is if I blow this hell hole up to kingdom come."

Kougaiji gave the priest a reassuring hug. "Sanzo, please don't lose hope. On my life, I swear I'll get you to your friends in time. For now, get a little rest. Lirin and I will be back."

At these words, the youkai prince stood up. Taking his little sister by the arm, they went outside the room. As the door was closed, Kougaiji knelt before Lirin.

"What's going on, Oniichan?" Lirin demanded. "What's wrong with Sanzo-sama?'

"Sanzo had a terrible vision while we were in Touchan's presence," Kougaiji patiently explained what happened to her. "His friends are in danger and he wants to go to them in Tofuugai. But Touchan won't give him permission to leave." He shuddered, remembering how the monk had groveled at the Demon King's feet.

Lirin felt her heart pounding in her chest. "You don't think something bad has happened to Yaone-san and Dokugakuji-san as well do you?"

"I'm hoping that they're safe. But Sanzo is certain that something has happened to Gojyo, Hakkai and Goku. As I promised him, I'm going to try my damned best to convince Touchan to permit him to leave."

"But what if Touchan still won't allow it? You know how stubborn he is."

Kougaiji placed both hands on her shoulders, looking Lirin straight in the eyes. "I want you to saddle up the fastest hiryu you could find and bring it to the east gate. Sanzo and I will meet you there."

Lirin stared aghast at her brother. "Oniichan, this is crazy! If Touchan finds out about this, you don't know what he might do to you and Sanzo-sama!"

"The least he could do is beat us. Or…he might even kill us, which is a great mercy, if you ask me." Kougaiji breathed in deeply. "These past months, Sanzo and I have been living with swords hanging above our heads. We live anticipating the worst that could be done to us. But when our friends' lives are endangered as well…" He caressed Lirin's cheek. "If it were Yaone and Dokugakuji who are in trouble, I too would do everything in my power to go to them. And I have no doubt that Sanzo will help me, the same way I am helping him now."

"But it's too dangerous!"

"No more arguing and just do as I say." Kougaiji embraced his little sister. "We owe him, Li-chan. The only way that we could repay Sanzo for everything that he has done for us is to see him safe, far away from Houtou Castle."

---

When Kougaiji and Lirin had left him alone, Sanzo pressed his right hand over his breast, searching desperately for any trace of his friends' presences inside his heart. For a while, he could sense nothing, and he feared that they were gone for good. But then, he saw it - three tiny sparks, still as bright as the stars in the heavens, but slowly but surely fading away. To his surprise, there was a fourth spark, and it was this tiny light that was trying so hard to keep the three others burning.

:Who are you?: Sanzo called out with his mind. But no reply came. Whoever it was, all his attention and energies were focused on his three reckless friends.

Despair gave way briefly to relief and then finally red-hot anger.

Stupid idiots! the monk cursed at those three fools who were his ex-road companions. I'm going over there and beat the hides off your backs for putting me through this hell! And while I'm at it, I'm going to kill that youkai bitch for lying to me!

As he pounded a furious fist on the mattress, something rolled against his fingers. Sanzo gaped down and gasped in shock to find the rolled up Maten Kyoumou pressing against his knuckles, good as new.

A maniacal grin formed on the priest's face at the memory of how he had groveled miserably at Gyumao's feet.

"No more begging this time, Gyumao! No more tears!" Sanzo muttered with fiendish anticipation of the mayhem he had in mind. "I'm going to blow this joint and no one, not even you, is going to stop me!"

---

"Touchan!" Kougaiji was trying to squirm out of his father's lustful embrace. But Gyumao had him helplessly pinned against the bed's headboard. As the Demon King slid the sleeves of his robe down his arms, he sobbed, "Yameru, Touchan!"

"It's a good thing you came to my chamber, Kougaiji," Gyumao murmured, nibbling on an earlobe. "I thought I wouldn't get any satisfaction this eve."

"Touchan, I came because of Sanzo. I beg you to allow him to leave for a few days to find his friends. He has given you his word that he would return."

Kougaiji's pleas were effectively silenced by a ringing slap to his face. Gripping fistfuls of his son's ponytails, Gyumao jerked him painfully up.

"Didn't you hear what I said earlier?" the Demon King hissed in his face. "I will never let him go! The only time that he will leave this castle is when he's a cold, lifeless corpse!"

"It's a reasonable request, Touchan. If you don't give him permission, the more difficult it would be for you to tame him. You don't want to have an unmanageable bride."

"Ah, but you underestimate me, Kougaiji. It is in the taming where the greatest pleasure lies. Sanzo will be tamed, even if I have to kill him to do so." Gyumao's broad hand dipped between Kougaiji's thighs. "Let's not speak of this anymore. Right this very minute, I have ordered guards posted at your chamber, just in case Sanzo should have any bright ideas to escape." He gave his son a stern glare. "Mark my words, boy, He will regret it if he tries. Now then, spread your legs. I want to sheathe myself inside you."

Before Gyumao could take Kougaiji, a booming explosion that rattled the foundations of the castle jolted them. Still naked, the Demon King ran outside his chamber, his son following after him, only to stop in the hallway at the startling sight that greeted them.

Genjo Sanzo stood in the middle of the hallway, dressed once more in the golden robes of a high-ranked monk. Waving wildly in the air like tentacles were the green and white silk of the Maten Kyoumou. Gyumao's guards were trapped in the deadly coils of the sutra. As Kougaiji watched in disbelief, the sutra tightened around the youkais' screaming forms, squeezing them to a pulp.

But greater was the youkai prince's horror to see the insane gleam in Sanzo's violet eyes. For a moment, their eyes met. Then, inside his mind, Kougaiji heard the priest chuckle.

:The east gate, huh?: was what Sanzo said. Smiling, he told the Demon King, "Sayonara, Gyumao-sama!", as he ambled down the hallway, the sutra fluttering menacingly around him. The monk disappeared down the stairway.

Gyumao swiftly ran back inside his chamber and grabbed his sword, running after the priest.

Kougaiji fixed his robe and hurried down the stairway, but as he reached the lower floor, he took a different turn that would take him to a route that was closer to the east gate.

"God, Lirin!" Kougaiji muttered breathlessly as he ran. "I hope you have everything ready!"

---

"GET OUT OF MY FUCKING WAY!"

With the single-minded determination of the insane, Sanzo obliterated anyone and anything that had the misfortune of crossing his path. The Maten Kyoumou was amplifying his powers that any youkai who came within reach of the priest's golden aura was disintegrated into ash.

As he turned into the hallway leading to the east gate, he heard a familiar voice cry out, "No! You don't have to do this! You must let him pass!"

Sanzo glared sharply at the group of youkai blocking his way. "Are you so determined to die?" he snarled at them.

At that sinister pronouncement, the youkai took a step back in fear. In their stead, a tiny figure went forward to protect them, her arms raised sideways.

"Go!" Lirin ordered firmly. "Leave us now!"

"But Lirin-sama," the youkai, who was their leader, argued strongly, "we can't do that! It is our duty to protect you!"

"Is it also your duty to die for me?" she asked him in turn. "It is not only my wish, but also that of my brother's that you allow Sanzo-sama to pass."

Another youkai nervously inquired, "But what about Gyumao-sama?"

"Just go!" cried Lirin in exasperation. "Before he does finds us here and decides to punish you!"

The youkai exchanged fearful glances. One by one, they disappeared into a small side corridor. Their leader laid his hand on the brave girl's shoulder.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Lirin-sama," he said in genuine concern.

"Kougaiji and I are doing this for all of us," Lirin explained to him. "Sanzo-sama is not our enemy. Gyokumen Koushu fooled us all. We need to right this wrong before it's too late."

The youkai nodded in understanding. "I do not know Gyumao-sama, but I trust you and, especially Kougaiji-sama. We will do everything we can for you." Saluting her, he left them alone.

Lirin faced the angry monk once more. Taking a step towards him, she began to say, "Sanzo-sama…"

"Don't come any closer, Li-chan," Sanzo warned her. "If you're not here to stop me, just show me the way out of this place."

The girl nodded once. "Come with me! Oniichan had me prepare a hiryu for you."

Swiftly, the two headed for the east gate. To their relief, no one accosted them along the way.

"We're almost there!" Lirin cried excitedly, seeing the stars twinkling through the open gate, and the hiryu scratching its head beside it.

But then, something rolled onto their path that Lirin skidded to a halt. Her pert eyes grew as round as saucers at the sight of the severed head of the kind youkai who had allowed them to pass.

Gyumao's hulking figure emerged from the shadows, muttering ominously, "I have no use for imbeciles."

Before Sanzo could act, the Demon King grabbed poor Lirin by her hair, tearing out strands in the process, and threw her hard at the corner pillar. The impact knocked the girl out in an instant.

"Li-chan!" shouted Sanzo, seeing Lirin's slumped form. Gritting his teeth, he angrily faced Gyumao. "Waro!"

Gyumao twirled his sword menacingly and gestured to the monk to approach. "You want to leave this castle, Sanzo-sama? You'll have to go through my dead body!"

"Actually," the priest began to say, an evil grin quirking up his lips. "I have every intention of doing that. I'll finish what Toushin Nataku Taishi started five hundred years ago!"

Appalled by the monk's audacity, it was Gyumao who charged at him first. Sanzo nimbly leaped out of the way of that slashing sword, the sutra causing him to move quicker, making his body much lighter. The Demon King attempted a thrust, but Sanzo jumped high, vaulting over Gyumao's back like a bull jumper. As he landed, he commanded the Maten Kyoumou to stretch out, trapping a surprised Demon King in its coils. With a mighty roar, using the strength of the sutra, Sanzo threw Gyumao again and again to the floor, not once allowing the youkai to break free. Soon, the Demon King lay in an unconscious heap at his feet.

Picking up the sword, Sanzo raised it high, ready to deliver the death blow. His insane eyes gleaming, he said, "I guess this is sayonara, Gyumao-sama."

Just as he was bringing the blade down, there was a frantic cry of "Yameru!"

Sanzo quickly checked the sword's descent, the sharp edge stopping a mere inch from Kougaiji's brow.

"Get out of the way, Kougaiji!" Sanzo hissed in uncontrollable fury.

"There's the hiryu, Sanzo." Kougaiji pointed to the transport creature. "Use it to go to Tofuugai…to your friends."

"I've changed my mind." The priest's hands tightened around the hilt. "I'm going to end this once and for all by killing this son of a bitch."

The youkai prince immediately placed himself between his father and the furious monk. "I'm not going to let you do this!"

"Damn it, Kou! That bastard raped you! He deserves to die!"

"Are you doing this for me or for yourself? Sanzo, I won't let you kill him! You'll have to go through me first!"

"If that's the way you want it, FINE!"

Sanzo began to pray, willing the sutra to act. It was only his intent to disable Kougaiji long enough for him to use the sword to cut off Gyumao's head.

However, as the Maten Kyoumou flew swiftly towards the young youkai, Kougaiji suddenly exclaimed, "My father is not evil!"

The sutra floated to an abrupt halt before the youkai prince.

Tears streaming down his cheeks, Kougaiji reminded the monk, "Sanzo, you know that Touchan is not well inside his head. The moments that you've reached his soul, you know full well how much he regrets hurting me…us! That is why, when that time comes that he's healed, I am prepared to forgive him for what he has done, because I know that he could never forgive himself." Raising his eyes to meet startled lavender orbs, he cried, "Everything you've heard about my father is a lie! My father was a friend to all humans! He never ate human flesh in his entire life! All the terrible things that had happened five hundred years ago were caused by Gyokumen Koushu! We were all her victims! Especially my father!"

Kougaiji fell to his knees before the priest. "Onegai, Sanzo! Trust my words now! You'll see the truth once he's healed! For my sake, spare my father's life!"

Tense silence descended upon them. Although terrified of what the monk might do to him, the youkai prince held his ground, kneeling with his head bowed in supplication.

There was a light, almost teasing caress on his cheek, and Kougaiji was surprised to see that it was the soft silk of the Maten Kyoumou. The sutra fluttered around him, touching his skin, as though comforting him. Then, the silk gave way to two strong arms that enfolded him in a desperate embrace and a warm cheek that pressed against his face.

"Come with me, Kou. You and Lirin," Sanzo begged him in earnest. "While he's down and out, we could leave this place together."

"Sanzo, you know I can't leave," Kougaiji told him, touched by his concern. "My family is here. Hahaue, Touchan… I could ask you to take Lirin with you, but she would choose to remain here with me. She would just be a burden to you, and you need to go to Tofuugai posthaste."

"Actually, I don't want to go," the priest reluctantly admitted. "I'm afraid of what I might find there. What if I arrive there too late to save them? And I fear for what your father might do to you when he finds out you helped me escape. What if all this effort would be a waste of time…and of life? What if I end up losing you too?"

"Don't think that! Believe that you would reach your friends in time to save them." Kougaiji pulled away and smiled at the monk. "Gojyo, Hakkai, Goku…they're the ones who should matter to you, not me. I'm nothing but a worthless youkai who has caused you and your friends nothing but trouble right from the start."

"You're wrong," Sanzo declared strongly. "You're just as important to me as my friends are. On my life, Kougaiji, I swear I'll come back here. I will fulfill the oath I made to your father."

"Sanzo, don't be stupid! Lirin and I have given you your freedom! Don't waste all our efforts by returning to Houtou Castle!"

But the monk simply stood up, fixing the now inactive sutra on his shoulders. "I am a Sanzo, and a Sanzo always keeps his word. And I will return, not just because of your father." He leaned down and cupped the youkai prince's face. "I will come back, because I have a precious friend here who needs me."

Saying this, Sanzo gave Kougaiji a tender kiss, which the young youkai returned with equal ardor. It was Sanzo who reluctantly broke the kiss. Granting Kougaiji a reassuring smile, he got onto the hiryu's saddle. With a flick of the reins, the hiryu opened its wings and soared into the sky.

"Sayonara, Sanzo-sama," Kougaiji whispered to the departing figure, as a tear fell down his cheek. "Although I fervently wish that we would be reunited, I don't think we'll be seeing each other again."

Lirin moaned in pain as she returned to consciousness. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was the enraged form of her father, who reached out with clawed fingers and seized her brother by the neck.

Sanzo was too far away to hear Lirin's scream, his mind focused on saving his friends and then returning to the castle in time.

Please, Kanzeon Bosatsu, Sanzo prayed in earnest. I have been your faithful servant all these years. Just this once, hear my prayer. I beg you to keep Kougaiji and Li-chan safe until I come back. And please, PLEASE don't take Hakkai, Gojyo and Goku from me.