Saiyuki
does not belong to the author of this fic
Memories
and Sacrifices
by
GW
Katrina
Part 4 - Betrayal
The summons had been expected. Gyokumen's
pet scientists had been running about insanely for the last few days,
and Kougaiji had heard the chanting of the sutra several times. He
was not surprised when the page came, bearing the command to see the
Empress.
So here he stood, head bowed to the insane bitch that
was his only key to saving his mother. Cold eyes studied him, as they
did every time. If it wasn't for the fact that most of their followers
were loyal only to him, Kougaiji was sure he would have been disposed
of by now.
"I have a very important mission for you, Kougaiji.
This one you must complete, or else everything that we have worked
for will be ruined."
Kougaiji said nothing. It had been too long, too many
years for him to play the same games over and over. He only needed
her for one thing. Once she did that, or he found another way past
the problem, he would leave. And he was just too tired to care anymore
about the woman's whiney rants.
Not getting the response she wanted, Gyokumen frowned,
marring her icy beauty. Still, she continued.
"The Maten Sutra is near. I will give you one
last chance to prove yourself to me. Bring me the sutra, and I will
free your mother. A simple deal. One we have had for a long time."
She looked at the redhead through narrowed eyes. "Do you understand?"
He met her stare with one of his own. "Yes."
If she wanted more than that, she would have to pry it from him. He
had finally learned that the blue- haired bitch mistress of his father
enjoyed toying with him. And that it irritated her when he didn't
play along.
Even as she began to rant about how it was the only
way to revive his mother, thus his duty, an idea wormed its way into
Kougaiji's thoughts. A chance to save his sister and mother, and put
the filth that had played with his life for too long in her place.
Gyokumen's rant died as Kougaiji turned his back.
"I will return quickly. And I will have the sutra."
"Good." That one word radiated Gyokumen's
pleasure at having her way once more. "Oh, and one last thing,
Kougaiji. Since you have proven incapable of keeping Lirin within
the safety of the palace, I have dealt with it. She has been given
a squad of guards to keep her safe."
Guards? More likely jailors. Since he couldn't find
a ritual that used one of the Heavenly Sutras, he couldn't be sure,
but Kougaiji had discovered one thing. That damn priest had been right.
Each and every ritual of resurrection had required the blood of kin
to raise a dead form.
And Gyokumen's choices were limited to two. Somehow,
Kougaiji was sure that the mother-child bond wouldn't protect his
half-sister.
Growling to himself, Kougaiji continued to stalk forward.
He was sure that the woman was thrilled at getting one over on him.
Bitch.
Once outside the audience chamber doors, he was joined
by Doku and Yaone. The worried expressions on both their faces told
him that hey had overheard at least part of the conversation/rant.
He shook his head once, then led them to the chamber that housed his
mother.
Both magic and science had been used to keep this
room free of recording devices. It was the only place in the damn
castle they could be sure of not being spied on. Only when they reached
it did Kougaiji relax.
He looked at both his companions. "I take it
you both heard everything?"
Unrepentant, Doku nodded. Slightly more hesitant,
seemingly ashamed of spying on her leader, Yaone followed suit. Kougaiji
sighed. "Good," he said, rubbing his temple. "I don't
have to explain it to you. Yaone, see if there is anyway of getting
Lirin free. Try to get out of the castle. If you can, find us. If
not, hide. Understand?"
"Yes, Kougaiji-sama." Already Kougaiji could
see Yaone working on a plan. "We'll meet later. Doku, come on."
There the group split. Yaone headed for her workshop
while Kougaiji and Doku went for the dragons. As they walked, Doku
eyed his leader and friend. Kou was up to something.
"We're going to ask for help," Kougaiji
said quietly in response to Doku's questioning look. It didn't look
as if the comment helped Doku's confusion any. Still, he didn't dare
say anymore. Not at the moment. Who knew what spies were around?
****
Gyokumen smiled as she examined her nails. "Follow
them. You know what to do."
The dark figure bowed, then hurried from the room.
With a soft chuckle, the demon sat back. Everything
and everyone was readying themselves for the endgame. Little did they
know she had stacked the deck.
****
Their only warning was the faint spike of demonic
energy. Both of their visitors had enough ability to mask that distinct
giveaway.
So, when the dragons glided in on almost silent wings,
Sanzo and his group was ready.
Hakkai watched as Kougaiji and Dokugakuji slid off
the great beasts to land lightly on the ground. Something about their
stances instantly caught Hakkai's attention. These were not the proud
warriors they normally faced. Instead, they held themselves as if
they were about to do something distasteful.
"Genjo Sanzo," Kougaiji started, eyes cast
down at the ground. He paused, as if struggling with something. This,
Hakkai decided, was going to be very interesting.
Elsewhere, a black-haired goddess looked up.
"I have come to ask for your help. I need your
assistance in destroying Gyokumen, reviver of Gyumaoh, and in freeing
my sister and mother. If you agree, I will return to you the Seiten
Sutra."
Whatever any of them had expected, that was not it.
Nowhere in the top ten, even. Quickly getting over his surprise, Hakkai
looked at the others.
Sanzo had been just as quick, so his face showed no
more emotion than normal. Gojyo and Doku looked remarkably similar
with the same dumbfounded expression on their faces. For a second,
it was very easy to see their shared father in those faces.
Goku was a surprise. It was as if he expected something
like that from Kougaiji. Or, maybe, Hakkai thought, it just seemed
like common sense to ask Sanzo. The boy was sure that his caregiver
could fix anything.
They received no warning the second time.
A rounded object fell from the sky. Hakkai barely
had time to register the fact that there was movement before a blinding
lightly flooded the area. It vanished, taking awareness with it.
The last thing Hakkai saw was a pale haired woman
land a dragon.
Then darkness took him completely.
- TBC -
Oh,
dear, Author's Notes. Something I really haven't done before. Not
a long chapter, I know, but things are going to get very interesting
in the next one, and I didn't want to tack it on at the end of this.
Hope you guys enjoy this chapter.
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