Saiyuki
does not belong to the author of this fic
Memories
and Sacrifices
by
GW
Katrina
Part 2 - Wondering
Violet
eyes peered through the dim light with an ease of many years practice.
Kougaiji had spent so much time studying his stone-trapped mother
that he could see the tiny details. But it was not his mother’s
appearance that he was forgetting. Not really.
Kougaiji
missed the sound of her voice, the way that she had laughed. The smell
of her favorite perfume, and the way she had comforted him. Slowly,
as the years drifted past, Kougaiji felt himself lose a little bit
more of his mother as time played with his memories.
The prince
wondered how much worse it was for her. As much as he hated to see
her in her current state, he was able to move. Not so for his mother.
She was trapped, unable to move. Was she aware? Behind those stone
eyes, was she screaming, mind lost to madness? Or did she sleep, unknowing
of her fate until the day she was either destroyed or saved?
Some
days, Kougaiji was sure that his mother would never be saved, and
he would be forced to watch her fall to pieces.
They
almost snuck up on him. Damn impressive, since Lirin never took the
bells from her hair. That told him just how caught up in his thoughts
he had been. But something had caught his attention, and he turned
to face them.
It took
only a second, but Kougaiji could tell something was up. He eyed his
group warily. Yaone looked more subservient than normal, something
he was still trying to break her of. Dokugakuji just watched Kougaiji,
but there was something in the back of his eyes that shouted stubbornness.
And Lirin looked at her older brother, a strangely serious expression
on her face.
“What’s
going on?”
Doku
was the one to respond. “We were curious, Kou. What is our plan
of actions? I know you’ve been doing some research since last
week….”
The dark
haired demon trailed off as Kougaiji’s face darkened. He had
found some troubling aspects of resurrection ceremonies. And he remembered
why he had started to look for them.
***
The smell
of blood was so thick that it clogged Kougaiji’s nose. He moved
faster, followed by Doku and Yaone. Lirin had snuck out of the castle
once more, and had gone looking for Sanzo and the others.
This
time, though, Kougaiji feared for his sister. The group had been passing
through the territory of some extremely mad demons. So mad were these
creatures that Kougaiji had decided to wait on obtaining the sutra.
He had no idea how the mad ones would react to anyone being in the
place they had claimed.
The silence
of the forest frightened Kougaiji more than the sounds of battle would
have. If he heard fighting, he would have assumed that his sister
was still alive. This silence made him fear the worse.
As the
three burst into a clearing, they slid to a stop.
Demon
bodies lay scattered, the blood smell intensifying. It mixed with
the smell of death, and Kougaiji resisted the urge to sneeze. Instead,
he attention was snagged by a light glowing mean the edge of the clearing.
There
sat Lirin, her eyes wide as a large gash on her arm closed. After
it did, she looked at Hakkai with a big smile on her face.
“That
was really cool. Yaone can’t do that. She gives really good
tasting medicine, though.”
As if
saying Yaone’s name made her notice their watchers, Lirin turned
to face the others. “Hi! What are you guys doing here?”
Growling,
Kougaiji stalked towards his sister. “What the hell were you
thinking? I know I told you why I wasn’t going to come after
the sutra at this time.”
Lirin
pouted. “But I wanted to play with Baldy Sanzo.”
Violet
eyes narrowed. “Can’t do a lot of playing if you’re
dead, idiot.”
“Then
maybe you should research resurrection rituals better, Kougaiji.”
The prince
spun around until he faced Sanzo. “What was that, priest?”
Sanzo
tilted his head as he studied Kougaiji. Around them was the sound
of voices. Hakkai and Yaone were talking in soft voices, too low to
make out words. Gojyo and Doku were tossing friendly insults at each
other. Nearby, Lirin and Goku were doing the same. Still, Kougaiji
could feel Goku keeping an eye on him. Too close to his precious monk,
Kougaiji figured.
As if
he was satisfied with what he saw, Sanzo pushed himself away from
the tree he was leaning against. He started forward, obviously heading
for the jeep that sat nearby.
Passing
Kougaiji, Sanzo paused. “Every spell I’ve ever seen requires
the sacrifice of blood. Usually blood related to the one being brought
back.”
Their
eyes met, and Kougaiji couldn’t help but ask. “Why do
you care?”
“Ch.
I just don’t approve of torturing pets,” Sanzo stated
calmly. He turned away. “Hakkai, Gojyo, Goku. We’re leaving.”
Vaguely,
Kougaiji heard his group and Sanzo’s give familiar goodbyes.
When had they become less than deadly enemies? Had they ever been
deadly enemies?
His eyes
fixed on his sister, who was talking happily with Yaone.
He had
some research to do.
***
“I
think I need to ask that bitch exactly how she plans on reviving my
father.” Kougaiji paused. “I also think we need to keep
an eye on Lirin.”
The tone
of his voice was enough for Lirin to not protest. It helped that her
mother had been acting very strange lately. Stranger than normal.
Yaone
and Doku both nodded, each taking a step closer to the youngest of
their group.
None
of the four noticed a form slip away in the shadows.
-
TBC -
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