End of Days
Chapter 1

The computer screen flickered once in the near dark, the power in the building going a little erratic. The mad woman throwing temper tantrums upstairs might have had something to do with it. Disruption of electricity was no mean feat for a human, yet a paltry trick for an element-sensitive youkai; and fortunately, that was all it was -- a little bit of insignificance and no real show of power.

Genjo Sanzo blinked slowly as the lines on screen reformed themselves, the supposedly uninterruptable power supply cutting over. Too slowly and too irregularly. He would have to raise the issue with the technicians... there had probably been data corruption.

He grabbed the mug on the table and took a mouthful of coffee long gone cold. One hand tapped impatiently at the arrow keys of the keyboard as his eyes scanned the screen’s readout. Damn, but it had been a long and fruitless night.

The power hiccuped again, evinced by the flicker of the light bulb illuminating his work bench. He cursed under his breath.

Tenjiku was several up on the temple in Chou’An. It had better facilities and more space, and it was enchantingly, blissfully, deserted. For most part, that was. The odd youkai still wandered in and out, and then there was Gyokumen, the former concubine of the long deceased Gyuumao. Once, she’d had delusions of grandeur -- didn’t we all? -- and some said that she still dreamnt of reviving Gyuumao and ruling the world. Unfortunately, a large part of her base of power had crumbled when her stepson walked out, taking wellnigh all her servitors and soldiers with him.

So now she roamed the huge, empty mansion that had once been a palace, still pretending, or honest-to-god believing that she was still on the road to power. So now she forked out of Gyuumao’s reputedly bottomless coffers to pay a small team of scientists to work on the great Gyuumao Revival Project.

They held meetings whenever she deigned to descend to the lower levels. Nii, well acquainted with the art of bullshitting, danced the dance of words around scientific terms that meant all of nothing. His esteemed research fellow, Genjo Sanzo, nodded at appropriate intervals. Gyokumen, suitably impressed, would increase their funding.

Sanzo strangled another curse as the light flickered and died. The computer continued to hum merrily, and more banks of text flashed across as new data was reported. If he wasn’t on the damn woman’s payroll -- no, even if he was on the damn woman’s payroll, he still wanted to strangle her and put her out of her misery. And put myself out of her misery while I’m at it.

He started number-crunching the new data, exhausted. One hand snaked towards the pack of cigarettes, extracting the last one. ...Query... subject... query... subject... They were conducting research and working overtime, even if it didn’t quite center around Gyuumao’s resurrection...

Self-motivation was always the best motivator.

He heard the shuffle of slipper-clad feet just as his eye caught a string in the middle of the garbage. He hardly heard the clang as Nii wandered around the laboratory and knocked something over.

"A slow night?" the scientist asked, hovering somewhere off to his right.

"A very slow night," Sanzo replied, his eyes never leaving the screen, his fingers running over the keyboard.

"Nothing interesting at all?" Nii sounded amused.

"Not even a whisper," Sanzo shot back, speaking around the unlighted cigarette hanging between his lips. He fired the query at the system and sat back as digits and symbols came racing back.

He slammed the chair back, missing Nii by micrometers. "Excellent." He glanced at his colleague, and glanced back at the screen.

"Hmmm, a slow night," Nii said, agreeably.

"A busy day tomorrow. I’m heading out." Sanzo jabbed a finger at the map that had popped up. "Here. A city in the desert. Here, a youkai encampment. This line, the trail of the Sanzo I’ve been tracking for weeks. It ends ... right here. Right in the youkai base."

"Well, well, well. The fourth sutra, if we count Homura’s. Good hunting, Genjo."

"Thank you." Sanzo stood, grabbing the lighter. He paused before lighting the cigarette. "So don’t wait for the most romantic moment to say what’s on your mind."

"Oh, nothing much." Nii smiled, patting the stuffed rabbit. "Just a little idle curiosity."

"Then it can wait. I’m going to bed."

"Oh, but it’s the little things that should be cleared up as soon as possible. You never know what will happen tomorrow. Someone may die. Isn’t that right, Kouryuu?"

Sanzo froze. "If it has anything to do with--"

"No, no, of course not. I was wondering about your apparent dislike of Homura."

Sanzo relaxed, by a fraction. Then he shrugged, lighted the cigarette, and took a deep drag. "What about it?"

"Seeing as how he might be a future colleague of ours..." the bunny canted its head and regarded him with a knowing look. "Is it Homura, or is it his idea of creating a new world? Or perhaps... is it Homura?" Nii chuckled, and the bunny smiled.

"Don’t even start." Two years ago, the reply might have been heated, but he’d learnt a few things, and how to discourage -- or at least not encourage -- Nii was one of them. The words came out icy smooth and as cold as a corpse.

"Then what could it be?" the bunny wondered.

Sanzo bit back a flash of annoyance. "’I have the Seiten sutra’, he says, so boldly. He knows that I am my teacher’s successor. He knows who was the last bearer of the Seiten sutra."

"So you think he killed Koumyou," Nii said.

Sanzo shrugged. "He has the abilities and the youkai support to do so. Those were not ordinary youkai that attacked us that night. The sutras did not work on them."

"So Genjo has a grudge," Nii told the bunny. "Isn’t that sweet?"

"As honey. With dead ants in it."

"Aww, he’s angry."

"Whatever. Just keep that scumball away from me. You can go and deal with him. Go foster your sarcasm on him while you’re at it. I have work to do." Sanzo turned to leave. Then he paused, and turned back. "Do you actually trust him?"

"Oh... trust. Such an elusive thing. Is it important?"

"Not necessarily."

"We haven’t even established why you’re here," Nii nodded.

Sanzo shrugged. "I don’t know, myself. Good night."

He was halfway across the room when Nii’s parting shot came drifting to him. "Oh, just remember... it’s never a good idea to argue with a business partner."

"Don’t worry," Sanzo called back, and the words were bitter.

***

He turned the ear clasps over in his hand. They caught the faintest glimmer of the rising sun.

He was making a move now, his back to the red light in the East. There was much to see in the world, after all.

He turned the ear clasps over in his hand again. Youryoku limiters. Definitely useful when passing through human civilization. In this part of the world, at least, youkai were still feared and hated.

To become the thing you abhore... he shook away thoughts. There had been plenty of time for reflection, and there was still time ahead. For now, though, there was time for movement.

Smoothly, he clipped the clasps into place, shuddering slightly as the transformation took hold. It was nothing in the grand scheme of things, a mere shadow of the first transformation from human to youkai. That had been horrendous. This... this was merely a bad memory.

He took a deep breath, and stepped out of the castle’s ruins.

It felt good to be on the road again. It felt good to be in the open, under the light of a fresh sunrise, where the wind was cold and clear. This was the real world, away from sheltering walls. Where it was bitterly cold and acridly hot. This--

--he fired the ki ball without even turning, and was aware that it passed through empty air. He whirled, and fired a second blast, which shimmered through nothingness once more.

"Peace, Marshall," the newcomer spoke.

"I am not a Marshall," he replied easily. The intruder was not youkai, that was certain, but those abilities bespoke of a non-human as well. "Another god?"

"Indeed."

"So. Are you part of the ‘Heaven’s emissaries gone astray’ coalition?"

"No." The voice was calm, moderated. No emotion leaked through to the surface to be detected and acted upon. The man -- the god -- was a shut door. No, a mirror, reflecting back what you chose to see.

"I am here on the Bosatsu’s orders. Assistance, if you please."

"Really. And where did you come from?"

"I serve the Toushin Taishi."

"But the Toushin Taishi, from what I hear, is having a grand time contravening Heaven’s directives."

"You are mistaken. I serve the Toushin Taishi -- the office, not the office bearer. Now that the officer has gone astray, the office demands that he be disposed of, and a new Toushin appointed."

"I see. Are you acting independently?"

A slight dip of the head. "Heaven has directed that I assist you."

Hakkai raised an eyebrow. "Reinforcements from Heaven?"

"The task ahead will be difficult. The former Toushin is, in himself, a great threat. Now he has gathered allies to himself."

"And Heaven will not take no for an answer?"

"One presumes not."

"Then I am grateful for the assistance." Hakkai nodded. "I trust you know my name. I trust you know that it does not come prefixed with a ‘Marshall’."

"I understand. I am Shien."

"Then... Shien... we head West."

***

"Kid...kid, you should drink so much," Dokugakuji snatched the bottle out of Goku’s hand. "Jeez, man, you’re going to be absolutely sloshed! This thing is a hundred and sixty proof!"

"I’ll drink what I want to," Goku slurred.

"How many bottles has he had already?" Dokugakuji asked the barkeeper.

"This is his third. On top of two beers."

"And then there’s the little thing about the tab," Gojyo grumbled. "I don’t earn all that much, you know."

"I have money," Goku shot back, a little too loudly. Heads turned.

"Not any more, you don’t," Kougaiji announced. He pulled out Goku’s wallet and emptied the remaining coins out onto the table to pay for the drinks. "All gone, now. And you didn’t even cover all of the tab."

"Thought I had a lot more when I started out..."

"Who taught you to drink, anyway?" Dokugakuji asked.

"No one," Goku replied, the shade of a sulk worming its way onto his countenance. "I picked it up myself. Gimme back my drink."

"No more alcohol for you. What drove you to start drinking yourself under the table, anyway? When you were travelling alone, to boot. I’m surprised you got here in one piece."

"I fight well," Goku said defensively.

"That might be another reason why he has less money than he thought he did," Gojyo murmured to Kougaiji.

"The price of the drinks?"

"The damages. And someone probably lightened his purse for him while he was out cold."

"He’s not very good at looking after himself, is he?" Kougaiji shook his head.

"Well, trust my big brother to set him straight," Gojyo chuckled. "Just look at him."

"Drinking doesn’t solve anything, kid. You have to face your problems."

"Rather face them after a few drinks. After all.. afterall, it’s not... notasif he’s gonna come back," Goku muttered. "And I’m not gonna find him... damnit, I’m going to bed."

"Good idea," Kougaiji seconded. "We need to start picking up supplies. We have a long desert crossing ahead of us, and--" he stopped when he realized that no one was talking to him. Dokugakuji was guiding Goku towards the stairs, and Gojyo had sequestered himself at a table where there were more women and cards. "A strange bunch," Kougaiji mused to himself, glancing out of the window. The night hid the sight of the desert rolling away towards the West. He had crossed it once, with Dokugakuji, back when it had just been both of them. And Yaone. He wondered what had become of Yaone. They’d almost reached this town, he remembered, when she’d disappeared one night without a trace...

***
To be continued
***