Demon Prince Kougaiji

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:14:49 GMT

in case you fanfiction.net, here's the link of my story on it-

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4464055/1/Ill_be_there_for_You

New KouxYaone fanfic

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:12:48 GMT

I've written a new Kougaiji and Yaone fanfic...here it is
http://banluvsnat.livejournal.com/1689.html

[fic] Making Room [Sanzo x Kougaiji/Kougaiji x Sanzo]

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:11:36 GMT

Title: Making Room
Pairings: Sanzo x Kougaiji/Kougaiji x Sanzo
Rating: PG or K+
Author's Notes: Written for san_kou (3. Bed) and 30_angsts (31. Cold (~bloody destiny)). Thanks to purpleicicles and TwinStar for the beta.

“Using my magic in battle and using it to warm your sorry ass are two completely different things.” Kougaiji yanked more of the blanket to his side. “When I’m fighting, I’m fighting for something important.”

[fic] Static [Kougaiji x Sanzo]

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:18:49 GMT

Title: Static
Pairings: Kougaiji x Sanzo
Rating: PG-13 or T
Summary: Welcome to the Hall of Fallen Enemies. Please pay attention to the tour guide as she talks about the four statues taken from Houtou Castle. No photographs, please.
Warnings: Extreme weirdness. Set WAY after the series
Author's Notes: Sort-of sequel to Jealousy. You don’t have to read the other one to get this. Written for san_kou (1. Castle). Don’t ask where this came from. Thanks to austere_flare for the beta.

Trashy Romance Novels

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 16:06:51 GMT

Did you ever wonder what it would be like if Minekura Kazuya wrote romance novels?

85 Saiyuki Icons

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 08:13:25 GMT

  These are mostly pretty simple icons, and there are a number of variants.

7 x Dokugakuji
6 x Gojyo
14 x Goku
9 x Hakkai
14 x Kougaiji
1 x Lirin
1 x Ni Jianyi
15 x Sanzo
7 x Yaone
11 x multi-character

Includes some Saiyuki Gaiden versions of characters.




(all here at my lj)

Kougaiji icons

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 18:20:05 GMT

Because I can never seem to find any Kou icons, here's 16, all but three of them Kou only.

I have a few text variants of these, as well as other Saiyuki icons in this post at my journal. I also have a textless version of the Prince Charming icon that I didn't upload, but if anyone is interested in that, just ask. :)

No comments or crediting required, but always welcome.

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 20:09:58 GMT

Selling time again! Saiyuki, Orphen, DNAngel, and other such anime/manga--some action figures and such included. Follow the link to my personal journal, por favor.

Fanfic: Gift

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 10:17:37 GMT

Title: Gift
Genre: General
Pairing (if any): none
Rating: G
Summary: It's Kougaiji's birthday but he doesn't feel very happy. But when his friends try to celebrate it with him, everything becomes better.
Warnings:none
Crossposted: fanfiction.net
Notes: This was written during Kougaiji's birthday as a birthday gift.

GIFT

He walked through the halls of Houtou Castle, his customary serious expression on his face though today was supposed to be a day of happiness since it was the day of his birth.

But what did he have to be happy about, nowadays? His missions concerning the retrieval of the Maten Sutra were always failures; and those were the only missions that mattered. His mother was sealed in a pillar and he couldn’t do anything but look up at her immobilized face and lament his loss. Another year added to his age meant nothing to him since it just meant that another year was wasted under the grip of the green-haired bitch.

Dark thoughts swirled around his head and he tried to push them away, to no avail. He was quickly sinking into depression, dark brooding ideas of just giving up and committing suicide; throwing everything into oblivion and loosing himself.

Kougaiji stalked towards the meeting room. Dokugakuji had told him that Gyokumen Koushou had called in the tachi for an emergency meeting concerning the sutras. The maroon-haired prince frowned deeper and wondered what his stepmother was planning for them. If she makes my life any more miserable, I’ll explode.

Taking a deep breath, Kougaiji opened the door and expected to see the others sitting quietly around the table and listening to the self-styled empress or discussing options for ambushing the Sanzo-ikkou.

The moment he stepped inside, he was caught by surprise when he was bopped on the head by a large orange balloon.

“Happy Birthday!” three voices shouted in chorus. Three pairs of hands thrust gifts into Kougaiji’s arms. The youkai prince didn’t know what to expect and ended up gaping at the wrapped packages.

Lirin gave her brother a big hug and kissed his cheek. “These are for you, oniisan!”

“Go on, open them!” Dokugakuji said happily.

When Kougaiji didn’t react, Yaone stepped closer with a worried look on her face. “Is everything alright, Kougaiji-sama?”

“I’m fine, Yaone,” Kougaiji said after a few minutes. He felt the confused look on his face melt into one of affection as he looked at the people around him. He opened the gifts one by one and lifted out the objects inside the boxes.

Yaone had gotten him a customized white leather trench coat. Dokugakuji had gotten him leather cuffs with silver spikes. Lirin’s gift was a handmade doll that resembled him…somewhat…

The table in the center of the room, which was usually covered with paperwork, was buried under plates of steaming food and cold drinks. Yaone had really outdone herself this time; there was even a large cake in the middle of the table.

His friends finally convinced him to sit down at the table and eat with them. As time went by, the youkai prince slowly loosened up a bit and joined in the conversation.

His self-destructive thoughts were slowly pushed into a corner as he lost himself in the happiness of the moment. So maybe he did have a reason to continue going on and not losing hope. The three smiling people around him were the real gifts.

Fic: "Blessed Rainy Day" (Kougaiji/Yaone)

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 07:30:43 GMT

Title: Blessed Rainy Day
Fandom: Saiyuki
Rating: R
Author: redbrunja
Characters: Kougaiji & Yaone
Crossposted: Everywhere I could think of.
Author’s Note: Written for the cinco de mayo holiday meme. Dedicated to snakecharmerfox.
Summery: “Think pure thoughts, he told himself. It’s a holy day.” Kougaiji tries not to think about what he can’t have, and fails miserably.

Blessed Rainy Day

Sat, 07 Apr 2007 00:26:50 GMT

Easter Ficlet

Title: A Bunny Doll Easter
Author: Brad C
Rated: PG
Charcters: Kougaiji, Nii Jienyi
Author's Note: Include a Bonus Picture.

Ficlet Challenge

Sat, 24 Mar 2007 19:45:13 GMT

If this isn't allowed, please delete it.

I am currently lacking in inspiration like nothing on earth. Therefore, instant inspiration- in the form of you, all you wonderful people who read this journal and put up with me.

So, put simply- Give me ficlet (probably not over 1000 words, definitely not over 2000) challenges, if you please. My fandoms are as follows:

Apocripha/0
DNAngel
Final Fantasy VII/VIII/Advent Children
Fruits Basket
Gakuen Heaven
Gravitation
Gundam Wing
Saiyuki
Sukisyo
Weiss Kreuz
Yami no Matsuei
Yu-Gi-Oh!

Then, choose a pairing or just a character- I don't mind. I mostly write yaoi, but I'll cheerfully write yuri and het as well. Please tell me what rating you want- I don't want to be writing a full-blown lemon when all you wanted was some innuendo.

And then- the prompt part. It can be a word, a phrase, or just element you'd like included. Again, I'm fairly open-minded.

Don't worry if I've never spoken to you before, or we don't usually frequent the same comms- I'm unlikely to bite.

So, posting format:
FANDOM
CHARACTER/PAIRING
PROMPT
Any other information

I think that's it, then. Comment, and I'll comment back with the ficlet, or answer to a question.

Valentine's Day Drabble Collection

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 17:32:13 GMT

I know I'm 2 days late, but... //_^"

20 shades of Love: Shade 14
Author: Kaworu
Fandom: Saiyuki
Pairing: Homura x Kougaiji
Genre: not-quite-PWP ^^"
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 305
//_^

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 23:53:28 GMT

Some Saiyuki CDs, doujinshi, and artbooks for sale, as well as other anime. All here.

Crossposted a lot.

This is where stories are born.

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 02:03:07 GMT

Kougaiji fic for 1character

Title: Walking On Spiderwebs
Pairing(s): gen
Genre: General, with recurring bits of angst and sap
Rating: G
Warnings: None (wow)
Spoilers: Saiyuki manga volumes 2, 3, 4, 6, 8; Saiyuki Reload volume 3; Saiyuki Gaiden manga volume 1
Summary: Everyone has a past, a present and, for however short a timeframe, a future. But of these, few are naturally story-shaped, as life itself is not story-shaped, tending to be inconsistent, vague on important details and inconclusive in ending instead. Thus, not every life has a story, but if this were a story, it would focus on the nature of ties life weaves, as fascinating as spider webs. [One-shot]

Cross-posted: A lot. Apologies for spam!

There was an old tradition of placing an array of items (scriptures for academics, arrow for athleticism, orchid for artistry, grains of rice for agriculture) before a child on his first birthday to see what kind of calling he would choose.

Fri, 26 May 2006 03:49:03 GMT

Roar, Fiction Offerings

Title: The Story of Mara
Author: Brad C
Rated: PG
Characters: Kougaiji, Nii Jienyi
Description: Kougaiji Centric
Summary: A normal day at the palace. Kougaiji and Nii Jienyi find themselves in a small conversation, which later leads into story telling.

GokuKou fanfic

Thu, 13 Apr 2006 17:19:29 GMT

Now, here is the first chapter of the GokuKou story I promised you. Hope you enjoy and leave commis^^

Titel: Fairytale
Pairing: GokuKougaiji
Author: the great SacralGral, or did you think otherwise?
Summary: 200 years have passed since the end of the Saiyuki series and Goku happens upon a certain prince bound to a certain castle. Not AU. At least not in my opinion.

The tavern was badly lit, with smoke and the smell of alcohol clouding the customers’ senses. Near the open fire sat an old man, children gathered all around him. Even the adults seated at the tables near him had turned to listen as the old man told his tale.

“ – So the evil demon was defeated a second time by Nataku, but the brave warrior soon died after he had sealed the demon into stone. Before that, however, Nataku had laid a curse upon the demon’s child so it never would be able to leave the castle. And so the princess waited for her saviour but nobody ever came to rescue her. The princess grieved and finally died, cursing her father with her last breath for being such a bad person that nobody would ever come to rescue his child. Where she had fallen, a dark-red flower bloomed, and her soul was contained in the silver pearl hidden between the petals. Whoever plucked this special flower would rescue the cursed princess and not only be presented with her ever-lasting love, but also with the gold her father had taken from the humans.”

It was silent around the old man after he had finished his story, the children watching him with awe in their eyes and some adults contemplating the story and the amount of money mentioned in it.

“If you like the story, be so kind as to give an old man some coins so he can buy himself a warm meal,” the old man said, and the children all hopped up at once to run to their parents and get some money.

The white-haired man thanked them all with a smile on his lips and stayed until the last customers had left.

“Last time I heard the story there was only the red flower,” the bartender teased him as she dried the last glasses and stowed them away. The old man, now seated at the bar and nursing a glass of beer, snorted.

“It would be pretty boring if I just told them, ‘And so the princess died and cursed her father.’ There wouldn’t be that much money, either,” he said and took a sip from the glass. “But in every fairytale there is a grain of truth.”

The bartender rolled her eyes. “Now don’t get all wise and old on me.”

He leered at her. “Oh, you rather prefer young and energetic?”

She rolled her eyes again and smacked him lightly on the shoulder. “Pervert!”

-

He watched the sky, focussing on the fat bird lazily circling above him. His stomach demandingly grumbled and he patted it soothingly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find something to eat soon,” he said, eyeing the bird again. The sun glinted off the golden diadem in his brown hair as he shook his head and moved on, his goal being a small village seated between two mountains.

“Once I’m there I’ll have cooked meat, beef and pork, chicken-legs and--oooooh, a steak!” Drool made his way down his chin and he quickly wiped it away. “And paprika! Potatoes, onions, apples, bananas, salad, oranges…” His voice trailed of as he stepped out of the forest and was met with a beautiful scene.

Fresh green grass covered the hill leading from the forest to the village. Butterflies made their way from colourful flower to colourful flower and children played near the gates of the village with some dogs. Women stood nearby, chatting and keeping an eye on their offspring.

The village itself was an old-fashioned one with a high, wooden fence surrounding all the houses. The houses were like the fence, also made mostly out of wood with red bricks showing now and then. Snow-white clouds dotted the deep-blue sky above it all. The two mountains between which the village was seated weren’t that high, but behind them rose higher mountains in the sky, their tops snow-covered.

Goku smiled and ran down the hill like he was six years old again.

-

“You really made the track through the Hollow Woods?” the bartender asked as Goku just nodded as he shovelled more food into his mouth.

“Yeah, that’s the spirit of the youth!” the old man, seated beside him at the bar, crowded and smacked him on the back. Goku nearly coughed his food across the table.

“Yeah…” he said weakly and smiled hesitantly at the woman behind the bar. She had ruby-red hair and the same eye-colour. From her painted lips hung a half-burnt cigarette and she remained Goku awfully much of a certain water-demon he had known about 200 years ago.

“So…” The old man paused shortly to take a gulp from his beer. “Where are you going now? Across the mountains? I heard there are a lot of bears and wild wolves around at this time of the year. Normally they keep to the areas deeper in the mountains but the harsh winter has driven them out.”

“I don’t know… I just kind of wander around, trying to see everything and get an impression of the world,” Goku answered truthfully, pausing in the process of devouring his food.

“Ah,” The woman nodded in understanding, the cigarette bobbing with the motion. “You still search for your place.”

“You could put it like that,” Goku said, a smile on his lips.

“Care to explain?” the old man piped up, obviously confused.

“Our young friend here--” the bartender leaned forward and petted Goku’s cheek with a cheeky grin on her face, “--still searches for his destined place to stay. Everyone has this place and wants to find it to become truly happy. Or so I have heard at least.” She turned to the old man, tapping a fresh cigarette out of her packet in the progress and lighted it while continuing to speak. “I am astonished you haven’t heard about that one, as you are that much into legends and all.”

“Well, there is always something new to explore,” the old man said wistfully, leaning back on his chair and contemplating the ceiling. “I could use that in my “Rosenmaid” story.”

“That one with the perverted warrior and the great demon who saves the poor maid in the end?” the bartender asked.

“Yeah, that one.”

“What is the “Rosenmaid” story?” Goku asked, finishing his third plate and reaching for the next.

“A tale this old grump here tells customers in the evening to get money.” The woman jerked a thumb in the direction of the old man.

“Well, not one of my best stories, that is for sure, but still good enough to buy me a decent meal.”

“You’re a story-teller?” Goku turned to the old man, his big eyes sparkling. “Have one with nasty demons and a beautiful princess to be rescued?”

“Ah, well, if you are asking like that…” The old man smiled like a sedated cat, thoughtfully stroking his thinning, grey beard.

“Once upon a time there was an evil demon that had a beautiful child--” The bartender interrupted him before he could go any further.

“The same story as yesterday evening?” she asked, both eyebrows raised. The old man glared at her for so rudely interrupting his story, then nodded. She just smiled and motioned for him to continue.

“Well, once upon a time--”

-

“Thanks for the meal but I have to go now,” Goku smiled at the strange pair –the old man still seated at the bar with his glass of beer and the bar-tender sweeping glasses, again- then waved a last time and shut the door behind him.

Well, that was an interesting story… he thought as he moved down the main-street of the village. He narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized the mountains, still many miles away.

Reminds me an awful lot of Gyumao’s second fall. Even Nataku is mentioned. Only that all this happened already 200 years ago. Maybe I should pay a visit to Tenjiku Hotojo, just to be sure…

And thus Goku’s lonely journey to Tenjiku Hotojo began. At that time he didn’t know that it would take him five years to reach it.

-

Water splashed into the air and hit the ground without a sound. Only a few green plants had broken through the dry, hard-baked earth this year. There hadn’t been enough rain during the summer season and the stream running under the castle hadn’t provided much water, either.
At least the caves down there were cool while Tenjiku Hotojo was more like an oven during the hotter months of the year.

Kougaiji sighed and wiped the sweat from his brow. He cast a look at the sky, calculating how long the sun would still be up, then decided to head back in. The simple white muscle-shirt he had thrown on was already sticking to his back and the light jeans he wore did nothing to make him feel better.

“Maybe there will be another bear caught in the trap…” he mused as he padded with bare feet through the corridors, making his way around parts of the ceiling which had broken down. Two weeks ago a bear had wandered into the castle, in search of some much-needed cool and had been caught in one of the traps Kougaiji had set up in hopes of meat. Kougaiji had lived off of it for one week.

Meat had become rare since Nataku had cursed him to stay forever in the damn castle. Kougaiji could partially live off the vegetables he grew in the garden of the castle, but he had always been particularly fond of a good steak and the loss of said meat hadn’t sat well with him.

For 200 goddamned years I have already lived here, all alone. I am starting to feel like a rabbit.

Kougaiji pushed open one of the last doors which hadn’t broken down over the years and walked into the main hall. The once graceful staircase leading up to the sleeping-chambers had many cracks in it but was still holding its ground, refusing to break down like the rest of the castle. Kougaiji glanced at it as he made his way out but quickly averted his eyes as he caught sight of the blood still coating the higher steps. Nataku’s blood. Everywhere he went there seemed to be something reminding him of the one having defeated his father and binding him to the castle.

Fucking bastard. Serves him right for dying.

He made his way over the remains of the main gates and slithered down the other side of the small hill of rotten wood that was the grand doors.

There wasn’t a trapped bear or wolf waiting for him but an angry demon with spiky black hair.

The boy brandished a huge sword when he caught sight of Kougaiji and started to rant about how his father had been killed by Gyumao and how he would take revenge on his offspring now blah, blah, blah. Kougaiji had heard it too many times to be surprised any more. He waited patiently until the boy had finished his little speech, then watched calmly as the sword was pointed at him und swung with surprising easiness to make him a head shorter. He ducked under the blow and punched the black-haired demon out of the courtyard through the outer gates. The scream echoing from the young demon as he fell down the cliff just behind the gates was suddenly cut off as he hit the ground.

Kougaiji wandered over to the gates and stopped just short of the doorway. He couldn’t go further than that or the barrier Nataku had so kindly built up around the castle would hit him and propel him back into the castle’s wall.

Some just never learn, he thought and turned back around.

An awfully familiar voice stopped him: “Hey, asshole!”

-

Goku had imagined that when he would finally find Tenjiku Hotojo he would be met with death and destruction, but he hadn’t imagined a black-haired demon being thrown through the gates and nearly hitting him on his way down the cliff.

What the hell… That was about the time Goku had reached the edge of the cliff and swung himself up on (partially) safe ground. There was Kougaiji, looking as he had done when he had seen him the last time about 200 years ago, back turned to him.

Goku did what he always did: be loud and impulsive.

“Hey, asshole!” he called out.

Kougaiji slowly turned to him, longer bangs shadowing eyes that glinted desperately.

“Goku,” the demon prince said without any loathing. “What do you want?”

“Uh…” That was a good question, Goku decided. He didn’t know what he really wanted here, he had never really thought about it. “I wanted to check if Gyumao is really dead?”

“He is as dead as one can get,” Kougaiji said and turned back to the castle. “If that was all you can leave now, right?”

“Ah, uh- NO! What about our rematch?”

Kougaiji regarded him with dark eyes. “There won’t be a rematch. Not here, not anywhere.”

“But why?” Goku whined, trailing Kougaiji as the prince climbed back into the castle.

“Because.”

“That’s no answer! Fight me!” Goku jumped in front of Kougaiji, successfully blocking his way, his red staff ready. Kougaiji just moved into another corridor.

“Hey! What happened to the Kougaiji who would fight his enemies until they went down, no matter what?”

“He faded away about 100 years ago, all lonely in a big, empty castle,” Kougaiji replied without looking back.

Goku was silent after that statement; but not for long.

“Whatcha doing now? Have some food? It takes an awful long time to climb that cliff up to your castle, you know? And who was the poor guy who came sailing through the gates and down the cliff?”

Kougaiji glared at him over a shoulder. “Shut up, I have barely enough food for myself and the ‘poor guy’, as you name him, was another of those people who wanted to avenge a family-member killed by Gyumao.”

“And to avenge their family they came to you? Gross,” Goku linked his hands behind his head and followed Kougaiji down some stairs and through numerous corridors.

Kougaiji sent him an exasperated look. “Can’t you just shut up and leave me alone?”

Goku grinned. “Nope.”

-

“Urghs! Even Sanzo could cook better than that!” Goku stated after he had spit out the bite he had just taken. One of Kougaiji’s eyebrows twitched but he said nothing and just concentrated on roasting what little meat he had left.

Goku reached for one piece but Kougaiji hit him with the stick he used to turn the meat.

“I thought it was so bad?” he asked in a dangerously low tone of voice.

“Uh, well, if there’s nothing else I’ll eat that, too. Have some water?” Goku held his canteen in Kougaiji’s direction. The other eyebrow started to twitch.

“Get it yourself.”

“Maaah, but you’re closer.”

“Do I look like a maid to you?” Kougaiji bristled and for one moment Goku thought Kougaiji’s hair had really started to bunch up. Nonetheless the prince snatched the canteen away from him and filled it.

“Now shut up,”

-

“It’s really boring here, you know? And the food is bad, too,” Goku said after the third day he had stayed in the castle.

“Do tell,” Kougaiji grumbled from where he was bent over a small pile of rocks.

“Hey, why don’t you break out?” Goku suddenly suggested.

Kougaiji sent him a look which seemed to clearly state ‘Are you crazy?’ “Nataku. Barrier. Ring any bells?”

“You could at least give it a try,” Goku pouted.

“Yeah, and get smashed right back into the wall. That hurts quite a lot, you know,” Kougaiji turned back to whatever he was working at.

“But what if I help you? Does it actually hurt when you touch the barrier?” Curious now, Goku settled down beside Kougaiji and watched him sort through the stones.

“Yes, it hurts. Like being hit by a lightning-bolt but without that much damage,” Kougaiji answered absentmindedly.

“Ah, so what if I keep you from getting hurled back? Would you be able to endure the pain for some seconds? Just long enough so that we can make it through?”

Kougaiji stopped in mid-shrug and turned dark eyes on Goku.

“Don’t even think about it. And why all of a sudden do you want to help me, anyways?” he growled, eyes narrowing at Goku’s half-hearted lift of shoulders.

“You don’t get much news from outside?” Kougaiji only glared harder at him. “Okay, stupid question. But you know, humans and demons live together quite peacefully. There are many half-demons now and the real strong, full-blooded demons are getting fewer and fewer. Soon there won’t be anybody worth fighting. So, I thought, we could stick together, spar now and then and search for the reincarnations of our friends. How does that sound?”

Kougaiji answered without missing a beat. “Strange.”

“Aww, but think it over first!” Goku whined. “Don’t you want to see this girlfriend of yours again? What was her name? Yonne- Yana- Yaene?”

“Yaone,” Kougaiji corrected him. “And she wasn’t my girlfriend. She was a subordinate and a healer to me,” And a good friend as well, he secretly thought.

“Ah! Because of that she so openly flirted with Hakkai!” Goku announced, fist hitting open palm.

“You would call trying to kill each other flirting?” Kougaiji incredulously stared at Goku.

“Uh, well, in a strange way they seemed to enjoy each other’s company and they didn’t seem to be set that determined to kill the other…” Goku trailed off as he stared thoughtfully in the blue sky. “On second thought, you’re probably right. Somehow they don’t seem to fit together.”

Kougaiji turned back to his stones with a snort. “Just what I said.”

“But what about your swordsman? Gojyo’s brother?”

“I am quite content; he is better off without me.”

Goku visibly pouted, then turned sombre.

“And your sister?” he asked quietly.

Kougaiji didn’t go bloody murder on him as he had half expected, just shot him a cool look.

“She is the last one I want to remind of her past by dropping in out of nowhere.”

“ARGH!” Goku tore at his hair in frustration. “What do you think is worth enough to get out of this castle?”

“Getting out of the castle or travelling with you?” Kougaiji asked.

“Travelling, sparring and talking with me!” Goku listed, a stubborn expression on his face. “And if you can arrange it, being somewhere around the term ‘friends’ would be nice, too.”

Kougaiji racked a clawed hand trough his hair and sighed deeply. “A nice warm steak and a soft bed doesn’t sound that bad,” he mused more to himself than to Goku.

“And just think about fresh green grass, and birds, and fat chickens and roasted beef--mmmmh.” Kougaiji warily eyed the drool making its way down Goku’s chin.

“…Right. So you say you can barrel me through the barrier if I just hold out long enough against the pain?”

Goku snapped out of his daydream and quickly (and a tad embarrassed, he admitted) wiped away the drool. “Uh, yes. I’m not sure, but maybe you’re just hurtled back because it’s an uncontrollable reflex to get away from the pain. But if I press after we could get you through.” Goku blinked, only now realizing what he had just spouted. Then his eyes lit up with the light of hope. “Does that mean you want to try it?”

Kougaiji nodded and Goku shot to his feet.

“YES! I knew it! Let’s pack things already and head for the gates! I want to be out of here before sunset!”

“Hey, wait! I never said--” But Goku was already out of hearing range, heading in the direction of the room where his few possessions were scattered. Kougaiji was left to stare at his quickly retreating back.

-

Goku stared at Kougaiji. Kougaiji stared right back.

“You sure you don’t want to take anything else with you?” Goku finally asked.

“Yes.” Kougaiji answered impatiently. All he carried in his backpack were some spare clothes, gold (you never knew when it could come in handy), food and scrolls from his private library. It was half as big as Goku’s own bag.

“Okay, then,” Goku mumbled, stepping easily through the barrier and depositing his bag outside the castle’s gates. “Give me your bag, will ya? It probably will only hinder us.”
Kougaiji threw his backpack beside Goku’s and waited until the other demon had returned to his side.

Goku’s hands were sweaty where they settled at his back, which didn’t bother Kougaiji in the slightest. The sun burnt down form the clear blue sky with no cloud in sight. Kougaiji considered it for a moment, then slightly turned his head to peer at Goku.

“And what shall we do if it doesn’t work?” he asked, hands clenching into fists at his side.

“Let’s worry about that later,” Goku replied easily. He took a deep breath and smiled a crooked smile. “You can scream if it hurts too much.” And with that he shoved Kougaiji right in the barrier.

The sweaty hands at his back were the only thing reminding Kougaiji that the skin there hadn’t simply melted off by now. But it sure felt like it. Had he really described the pain as lightning bolts? Man, it was much worse. It felt like he had been kicked right into the deepest pits of hell, with eternal fire first melting his flesh and then his bones, filling his mouth and nose with burning air and boiling his inner organs. Kougaiji was sure he didn’t scream. It would have hurt far too much to even open his mouth.

Somebody seemed to turn off a switch and the pain was suddenly gone. And at the same time Kougaiji realized that he had forgotten something. The cliff just behind the gates, leading straight down and being very, very long and deadly if someone was unlucky enough to fall down it.

“Shit.” Kougaiji gritted his teeth, nerve-endings still frizzling from the barrier’s assault and he was already mumbling ancient words before the full situation hit him.

He was through the barrier. He was free.

And Goku’s left hand had ripped through the thin shirt he wore.

A low, dangerous growl reached Kougaiji’s ears. He slowly turned his head and felt blood running down his back the same moment he caught sight of madly shining, golden eyes.

Then there was a shadow above them, and Kougaiji had just time to think But there wasn’t a cloud anywhere. before the gigantic rock crashed into them.

-

Goddamned, idiotic, shit-eating, brainless monkey.

Kougaiji couldn’t open his eyes but he didn’t need to, to know that something was wrong with the left side of his body. Or at least with his left leg and his left arm. The rest felt relatively normal. On second thought, only his left arm felt really strange, the pain in his left leg was already subsiding. But the arm…it didn’t feel like a simple break of the bone but like the bone had splintered in more than one place and pieces of the bone had torn through the flesh.

Kougaiji could still feel his fingers and that counted as a good sign.

Ok, you damned eyelids, MOVE!

One eye cracked open, wide enough for him to see the cloudless blue sky above him. There were the high, dark walls of the cliff leading up to it but at the moment Kougaiji was happy enough to be alive.

I hope the damn monkey is in as much pain as I am, Kougaiji thought as he cautiously moved his right hand to free him from the numerous rocks having piled up over the left side of his body. His left arm was a bloody mess, with white bone-splitters being coloured red by the blood while his leg seemed to be mostly okay. Only ripped fabric and ripped skin.

I also hope he hasn’t been buried too deep under the stones because I sure as hell won’t dig him out.

-

He must have fallen asleep, or something like that, because he suddenly was in a soft bed and he clearly remembered slowly walking along the wall, searching for Goku. Said demon was currently sitting at the end of his bed, devouring…food. Kougaiji didn’t dare to give the squashed mass any name.

“What happened?” he rasped, left hand twitching and, to his surprise, not hurting.

“We made it,” Goku stated solemnly, eyes brown again and magic-controller back in place. In the blink of an eye the seriousness was gone and Goku flashed Kougaiji the victory-sign, grin stretching from one ear to the other. “Told you! Now we can plan where to go first!”

“What is with my injuries?” Kougaiji asked, voice becoming smoother with each spoken word.

“Oh, not too bad. A bandage there, some medicine here and everything was right again.” Goku still grinned at him. Kougaiji stared at him, eyes wide in disbelief.

“My arm was nearly ripped apart!”

“Now don’t go overboard. At first it really looked nasty but it actually wasn’t that bad. I stitched you up and your healing-powers did the rest. Want some?” Goku offered him some of squashed food (had that tentacle just moved???) and Kougaiji very nearly reeled back in disgust. Goku wasn’t offended by it at all and happily cried, “Leaves more for me!”

“Where are we?” Kougaiji questioned, sitting up which (again surprise, surprise) wasn’t as exhausting or painful as he had thought it would be.

“In an inn near Tenjiku Hotojo. They really make the best roasted chicken around here. And you should try their fruitcake! Ooo~h, and just the hot chocolate.” Again there went the drool down Goku’s chin. Kougaiji silently handed him a tissue.

“Was I unconscious for long?”

“Nah, only one day,” Goku replied with his mouth already full again.

“Long enough.” Kougaiji felt the bandages around his head and his chest and came to the conclusion that they were well-made.

“What happened back there while we fell?” he asked after he had waited for Goku to finish his meal.

“Uh…” Goku sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “Seems like Tenjiku Hotojo fell apart after we broke through the barrier. I lost my magic-controller during the fall but was able to put it back on once we were on safe ground and then I brought you here.”

“So the gigantic rock which hit us was a part of the castle,” Kougaiji mused.

“Yeah, probably a wall. Tenjiku Hotojo is nothing more than a pile of rubble now and the barrier has fallen with it.” Kougaiji sent Goku a questioning look.

“I went back and checked on it,” he explained.

“Oh.” Kougaiji leaned back in his pillow, considering this new fact. Now there was officially nothing to bind him to this area anymore. He had held a dislike for the castle ever since he had first seen it and the dislike had grown to outright hate over the last 200 years, which was understandable. Who wouldn’t loath a building one had been bound to against one’s will and which held a great deal of bad memories?

Kougaiji stared as a hot cup of molten chocolate appeared in Goku’s hands and the brown-haired teen started sipping it peacefully.

But the question is, Kougaiji thought, how Goku first lost his magic-controller and then was able to put it back on himself. As far as he knew, Goku was ever careful to never lose his golden diadem because once the monster had been freed it couldn’t be tamed without the help of a god. So how had he managed it, seeing that Kougaiji and the rest of the population around here were still alive?

Kougaiji decided to stow such questions away for later.

“So, where are we heading first?” he asked.

Goku grinned. “Hot springs!”

And thus their journey together over high mountains and through dangerous forests began.

Sat, 08 Apr 2006 19:25:00 GMT

I wondered...Can I put up GokuxKougaijis FFs here, too? I just finsihed one and would like to share it.

Requesting Help

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 15:25:39 GMT

Alright I was listening to a CD when a couple of the songs screamed "Kougaiji" at me, and I want to make an Amv. I have quite a bit of it worked out in my mind of things I could use, But I'm lacking clips. :( I would apperchiate it if anyone cold give me clips of Kougaiji, his group, Gyokumen Koshu, Ni Jianyi, or clips from his 2ND fight with Goku in Saiyuki. Reload and Gunlock clips are welcome as well. (in fact some would help)If you want me to post lyrics of anything to help , so you might get a better of idea of what I'm working with it's no problem. Thanks ~Kira

No one's Posted

Sat, 07 Jan 2006 03:00:31 GMT

It IS Jan 6th! So

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KOUGAIJI-SAMA! ^^

Saiyuki - Kougaiji Fic

Mon, 27 Jun 2005 11:33:13 GMT

Series: Saiyuki
Author: Zelgadis55
Beta: Diva Urd
Rating: PG
Disclaimers: Nope, not mine, never will be, no matter how much I desire the gorgeous Prince of Flame. Kougaiji and all other canon Saiyuki characters belong to Kazuya Minekura. I would worship the ground she walks on if I ever went to Japan.

Summary: Even a prince has times where he can indulge in the moment. Set not long after the end of Gunlock. No real spoilers. Non shounen-ai

A/N: I wrote this story in response to a comment Goku-mum once made on the Webefanfiction mailing list so you can blame her. I have had this story in mind for over six months. I just wasn’t able to write it until I finished my other fic.

- . - . -</>

Satisfaction

“Ah Kougaiji dear, there you are at last.” Gyokumen Koushu called. She had a smile of apparent friendliness on her face and a light, pleased tone in her voice. “You’ve been keeping me waiting for over an hour.” Her tone may have sounded friendly but the glint in her eyes was anything but.
Kougaiji walked up to within a few meters of her throne, his expression hard and his body language untrusting. When he spoke, the words were polite, even slightly respectful, but the undercurrent in his tone spoke volumes of his hatred for the woman lazing in front of him. “I am sorry, Gyokumen Koushu. Unfortunately, I had matters to attend to that could not be left.”
She smiled, “And yet, this morning you still had time to visit the pillar your dear mother Rasetsunyo is imprisoned within.” She sighed. “It’s enough to make me jealous. After all, I am your stepmother. You should treat me with some affection too.”
The youkai prince clenched his fist and jaw in anger about the vile woman’s casual reminder of the hold she had over him. Doing her bidding was the only hope he had of releasing his mother from the containment spell placed upon her. The worst part was that Gyokumen knew this and she took full advantage of her knowledge.
“It’s so sad to know that you and your… servants have still made no progress in retrieving the Maten Kyoumon. Also, rumour has it that last time you came face to face with the monk carrying the scripture, you made no move against him.”
‘Rumour,’ Kougaiji thought bitterly, ‘meaning Ni Jenyi has his spies out again.’ It was a mystery as to how the infuriating man kept so up-to-date, even when the prince knew they adhered to the strictest secrecy.
Gyokumen’s smile was now that of a predator. “You know that acquiring the Maten Kyoumon is the only way she will ever be freed.”
How dare she speak about his mother like that? Kougaiji fought back his anger. It would not do to let on just how strongly he felt, that would give her even more power over him. As it was, she had too much.
“Don’t you care about her any more, dear prince?”
Swallowing to give himself a moment in which to ensure a steady, calm voice, the prince answered. “The enemy the Sanzo-ikkou were up against at the time was a serious threat which needed to be dealt with. If Sanzo and his people had not been up to the task, then we would have to have dealt with it. It was the end of a long day and a long battle before the threat was finally dealt with. By then, the Sanzo-ikkou were tired and wounded.”
“A perfect time to kill them and take the scripture.”
The pyro-powered prince narrowed his eyes warningly, “I will not fight a weakened opponent.”
Gyokumen suddenly rose from her throne, her expression and voice filled with anger. “Then you write off your mother. It was your best chance at obtaining that which we seek.” She strode over as she spoke until she was directly in front of her lover’s son. Smiling into his unflinching face, Gyokumen purred, the anger she voiced moments ago seemingly gone, “If you cannot do the job, I suggest you start looking for new subordinates. The ones you have are obviously holding you back.”
“It is not your place to tell me who to have in my employ.” Kougaiji almost snapped. He knew a threat against Yaone and Dokugakuji when he heard one and he was not about to take it. If that woman made one more threat against someone he cared about…
Her eyes filled with further anger at the prince’s insubordination, “In your father’s absence, I rule here. You may be heir to his throne but my dear Gyuumaou is not dead, only sealed.” Gyokumen began to walk away before feigning remembrance and turning back, a twisted smile on her lips. “One other thing, Kougaiji dear, I want my daughter back. Like the scriptures, she is also vital to reviving my darling Gyuumaou.”
Kougaiji finally had enough. To hell with his stepmother, to hell with her threats, before he realised what he was doing, he found his body reacting on autopilot. His right fist clenched tightly, he drew his arm back and let fly with a solid right hook that landed smack in the middle of Gyokumen’s face.
As he looked on, blood pouring from the fallen bitch’s face, there was only one thing Kougaiji could think of, how intensely satisfying that one, single punch had been.

- . - . -

There was a gentle knock and when there was no answer forthcoming, the door quietly and cautiously opened. Yaone stuck her head into the room, peering around to search. She smiled in relief and entered. In a hushed tone, the apothecary said, “There you are, Lirin-sama. I have been looking for you everywhere.”
Lirin turned, smiling brightly up at her friend. Yaone had always been closer to being a mother to the teen than Gyokumen ever had been; maybe more like a caring big sister. “Hi Yaone-chan!” She replied in a bright but amazingly for her, quiet tone.
The apothecary walked softly toward the young burnt-orange haired youkai and stopped near the bed that the girl sat beside. “What are you doing here, Lirin-sama?” she asked, curiosity eating away at her.
“Watching onii-chan sleep.” Lirin answered with an adoring smile.
“Kougaiji-sama looks happy.” Yaone observed.
“He’s been dreaming. He didn’t look very happy earlier, but then,” Lirin shrugged, “he just did. I wonder what he was dreaming about.”
“I couldn’t say, Lirin-sama. Come on, it’s past your bedtime.” Yaone said gently.
“Aww, can’t I stay here? I like seeing onii-chan happy.”
Yaone shook her head sternly. “Not tonight, it’s late and we’re all tired.” The apothecary took Lirin’s hand with a smile as the girl pouted but acquiesced. Upon exiting the room, Yaone asked, “what do you think Kougaiji-sama was dreaming about?”
Lirin grinned brightly as she allowed her friend to lead her to her own room, “That’s easy!” she exclaimed happily, “A great big meat bun!”

Owari

[Fic] Usagi

Sat, 16 Apr 2005 06:06:25 GMT

Title: Usagi
Author: TJ Dragonblade
Genre: Drama
Rated: T/13+ (Rated according to this system in accordance with actions being taken by the MPAA)
Pairing: Nii/Kou
Summary: Kougaiji finds himself cornered in Nii's lab. 1stPerson POV - Kou

Warnings: Yaoi, mild language
Crossposted: tj_dragonblade, subtle_creature, princeofdemons, saiyuki, saiyukiyaoi, saiyukiwriters, Saiyuki_Yaoi mL

Disclaimer: The many incarnations and characters of Saiyuki were created by the wonderfully talented Kazuya Minekura--may she be forever blessed and properly deified for sharing her vision with the rest of us. I venture onto her playground in the name of entertainment and maintaining my sanity; in so doing I mean no disrespect or copyright infringement...

================
Usagi
----------------

Nii is alone--working, supposedly--slouched lazily in front of a glowing computer screen and just lighting a cigarette as I enter the lab.

I don't know what I'm doing here, really. I wasn't summoned; I wasn't ordered to appear before him for any reason. Yet here I am, regardless, drawn to his lair by some instinct that I don't understand.

"Ahh, here is Kougaiji-sama..." There is such mockery in the title, made all the more evident by the fact that his words are ostensibly addressed to that stuffed doll he carries everywhere. He pockets his lighter, exhales a soft wisp of smoke. "What brings the prince down to grace us with his presence, I wonder?"

I don't bother with a response; any answer I might make would only encourage him to taunt me further.

"Why don't you ask him?" He addresses himself in a voice gone mildly falsetto, speaking for the bunny while gesturing expressively with one of its paws; the entire scene is so ridiculous that I'm tempted to laugh outright.

Yet there is something in his demeanor that strongly discourages any levity at his expense, even while puppeteering the toy rabbit; and the temptation dies swiftly.

"Good day, my prince," he offers, lowering the cigarette; and this time it is clear that he speaks to me.

I incline my head slightly in acknowledgement. Mother instilled manners and noble etiquette in me from a very early age, and those instincts remain firm in spite of my personal dislike of the man before me.

"And how can I serve you this afternoon...?" His tongue glides over the words as though they have some pleasant flavor; and the way he says 'serve' somehow conjures an image of my head presented to Gyokumen Koushu on a platter with an apple in my mouth.

At least I have presence of mind to concoct a quick and simple lie. "I was sent to collect a report of your latest estimates on reviving my father."

"But sent by whom, I wonder?" He draws shortly on his cigarette, tucking it into the corner of his mouth where it will not interfere with his words. "After all, I gave just such a report directly to Gyokumen Koushu-sama herself not half an hour ago..."

I *would* have the luck of inventing an excuse that he can immediately disprove.

"I think perhaps the prince has his own reasons for this little visit, hmm?" He's speaking to the doll again, making it nod sagely in response. I can't help feeling utterly belittled; and the complacent curve to his lips only irks me all the more.

"And why does it matter, what reasons I have? Maybe it's in my own best interest to keep close watch on you and your scheming."

"Ohh, without a doubt, Kougaiji-sama. Without a doubt." That complacency has a dangerous edge to it, now; and he's staring at me intently through the thin haze of his tobacco smoke.

My heart thumps faster beneath my ribs, and I can feel tension beginning to gather in the back of my neck. He unnerves me so completely, this man. He admits directly to me that he does not mean me well, smiling his confidence that this knowledge makes no difference in whether or not I will be prepared when he should decide to strike. It's as if he is prodding me, taunting me with the surety that his is the superior position.

It has always angered me to be underestimated; and I prod back, annoyed by his casual conceit.

"I do not appreciate vague threats, Doctor. Have a care what you say to me, and how you say it."

"My, what splendid courage!" he laughs, enthused, lifting the toy rabbit and holding it like an infant in his outstretched arms. "We would be fools to cross the young prince, now, wouldn't we!" And the bunny nods again as he brings it back to his lap.

I grind my teeth and hold my tongue, fuming at the condescension but not willing to provide him any further reason to mock me.

"But really, my prince, I hardly meant to threaten you," he offers next, cigarette bobbing slightly between his lips with the words; and I could almost believe the contriteness of his tone were it not for the shadowed mischief in his eyes. "I simply meant that of course it is within your purview of interests to check up on my work, to see our progress for yourself. After all, how else are you to gauge the urgency of your missions? How else are you to know what sort of successes we mean to have, hmm?"

"Gyokumen would keep me informed in these matters," I bite out, giving in to the urge to contradict him just for contradiction's sake.

"Ahh, but she doesn't, does she, Kougaiji. She never tells you any more than she wants you to know, isn't that right?"

And of course I see, too late, that he has prodded and needled me directly into yet another of his carefully laid traps. The words sting, biting deeply with the unspoken implication that I am useful only as a tool for their plans, a pawn in their chess game, no more than a puppet on a string. And there is nothing I can say that he won't somehow twist back around on me. Pride and anger knot within me, and I whirl from him to stalk across the small room, fighting the need to hit...something. Anything.

"Your own stepmother doesn't *trust* you, my prince!" He announces it as if it's a dawning revelation rather than a fact known from the very beginning; frustration boils over within me and I whirl back to face him again.

"Of course she doesn't trust me! She has threatened and manipulated and coerced, has *forced* me into cooperation with her grand ambitions; but she knows I would have *nothing* more to do with her if not for--!"

I stop abruptly, the outburst subsiding in an instant. I don't wish to bring Mother into this conversation, not with *him*--I don't need him poking gleefully about among my private sufferings.

He lowers his cigarette and simply blinks at me, behind those glasses; and then he moves with the sinuous grace of a snake, as though his bones are liquid beneath his flesh, rising from his chair and approaching me with casual unconcern.

Quite suddenly, I am acutely aware of the wall at my back.

He fixes me with his dark eyes, sharp and calculating; the eyes of some cunning predator...

And I feel like a rabbit, caught in their stare, unable to break away.

He closes in, stopping just under an arm's-length in front of me.

"Such a martyred innocent...the helpless victim of bloodlines and circumstance, hmm?" His right hand is planted against the wall, cigarette smoldering beside my head; the left is in his pocket, still holding that doll tucked close against his side.

He is not blocking me in. He is doing nothing to prevent my stepping aside and walking away from him; yet I remain, trapped, held by the smug condescension in that hard clinical gaze.

"I am not helpless," I grind out, glaring back at him, refusing to be intimidated. Neither am I innocent, with all the lives and deaths at my command; but I don't particularly want to argue that point with him.

He only smiles, an empty, patronizing gesture devoid of any semblance of genuine care.

"Bound in service to your father's mistress by your mother's imprisonment, sent on one foolish errand after another, always kept half in the dark while your soldiers are sent to useless deaths--it is such a trying burden that you bear," he sighs, his tone as sad as if my current lot honestly concerns him, as if he's had no part in it whatsoever. His head tips slightly to one side, and his eyes never leave my own. "And you, my noble, stubborn prince, you insist on shouldering it all alone, despite the friends who would give their lives for yours..."

His words trail away like the smoke from his neglected cigarette, and he leans closer.

"I...*admire* that strength, Kougaiji," he murmurs mockingly, voice soft and intimate in the breath between us. "Such magnificent *pride*..."

I sense his intent, yet I make no move to stop him.

He pauses a hairsbreadth from contact, holds for the space of a heartbeat; and then indeed he touches his lips to mine.

He kisses quite well.

And it aggravates me that such a thought is the first to cross my mind, that I don't immediately shove him back or seize his throat and choke the life from him, that I simply *let* him do this thing to me without consequence.

His hands remain where they are and his body moves no closer; but his mouth presses mine intimately, coerces it open with far gentler skill than I would have given him credit for. He delves deeper, his kiss anything but aggressive; and my stomach drops at the violation, twisting, soft warmth welling deep in my belly despite the outrage clamoring in the back of my mind. He smells like cinnamon, and tobacco smoke; I can taste the lingering flavor of his cigarette, bitter against my tongue--

He tastes like death.

And still I do nothing; it is he who ends it at last.

And then, *then* I can move, if only to blink open the eyes that I don't remember closing.

Damn him. Damn him anyway! That smirk is still on his face, and he's looking at me as though assessing the outcome of his latest calculations.

My hands clench and I glower at him, anger finally shaking loose within me though it finds no words just yet.

He stares back, unperturbed, those unfathomable eyes infuriatingly complacent behind his glasses.

When he moves, it is sudden. Completely without warning, he lifts that ridiculous bunny doll and presses its nose to my lips with a faint kissing sound.

And at last I've had more than enough.

I react without thought, raising a fist to backhand the damned toy aside. There is far more anger in the gesture than would seem warranted; but that final little touch of mockery is just too much. The doll hits the floor halfway across the room and slides, its stitched-on smile fixed as ever.

And Nii laughs, the sound rich and full of genuine amusement; he laughs in the face of my wounded pride and places his cigarette between his lips once more and saunters away to retrieve his stuffed companion.

"It seems the prince does not respond well to gestures of affection," he tells it solemnly, amusement quite evident in his tone as he straightens its smock.

He guides its paws to cover its mouth as though appalled, then moves them to mimic sobbing. "Kougaiji-sama is so *cold*!" he simpers, in a childlike voice that borders on tears.

"Ahhh, yes--" his voice is his own again, and he pets the bunny soothingly "--but it's not entirely his fault, you see. He endures such hardship at the command of Gyokumen Koushu-sama...it's little wonder he feels nothing of kindness for those of us who serve her willingly..."

The ridicule slithering under his words is heavy enough to taste.

He tucks the toy rabbit into its customary place beneath his arm and glides back to his console to resume his seat, dropping his dead cigarette into the ashtray where it continues to smolder. He punches a few keys, brings up a display of some data chart or other, scrolls through the pages while smiling his satisfaction.

And I realize abruptly that I'm being utterly disregarded.

Not ignored; for that would imply some basic acknowledgement of my continued presence. Disregarded. He behaves as though completely unaware of me. Not a look, not a twitch, not a smug backward glance, not any sort of indication that anyone besides that doll has occupied the room with him this afternoon at all.

It's as though I'm suddenly no longer here.

And indeed, I shouldn't be. I should never have been here in the first place.

The urge to do violence surges up behind my vision; it's all I can do to contain it. I do *not* need to provide him the entertainment of seeing me lose my control. Nor do I need to incur Gyokumen's wrath by mutilating her favorite toy.

So I storm from the lab then, helpless rage boiling within me. And as I stalk down the corridor, that need to *hit* something overwhelms me at last and I whirl, slamming my fist into the unyielding wall with a short cry of sheer frustration. Dull pain blossoms in my knuckles, lances up my forearm; and I hurl another punch into the wall. And another, and another, and another; there is no other outlet for the impotent fury that consumes me. I realize that the only thing I'm accomplishing is to injure myself, but I do not care at the moment.

I hate the man. I hate him, utterly; hate everything about him, hate everything he's done. He is a mad, arrogant, dangerous creature. He twists every word that comes out of his mouth, manipulates everything and everyone around him.

I loathe him. Detest him.

I do. I know I do.

And yet--

I stop, bow my head, cradle my battered and aching hand, feel the tide of my anger turning inward.

For if I hate him so completely, why then did I allow him to kiss me?

Why, for the briefest of seconds, did I enjoy it?
--------------------

Fic: Blush

Fri, 15 Apr 2005 05:46:30 GMT

Title: Blush
Genre: General/Romance
Pairing: Kougaiji/Yaone
Rating: PG
Summary: Whether they be demons, humans or gods, one thing remains consistent about the male gender - they don't understand how the female gender works.
Crossposted: 30_kisses, love_you_weird and kougaijixyaone

Blush

(Linked to my own writing LJ)

Fan Fiction - Alone

Sun, 03 Apr 2005 21:17:05 GMT

Title: Alone
Genre: Tragedy, Angst, AR (Alternate Reality)
Pairing: None
Rating: PG-13
Summary: “What about now? Can you still find a reason to live after you’ve seen this?”
Warnings: Character Death
Crossposted: prince_of_war

This is an Alternate Reality fic set between the first and second seasons of Gensomaden. Please take note that the Sanzo-ikkou and Kougaij-tachi have NOT met Homura.

~Alone~

"Step forward, War-Prince."

Whispers filled the hall as the one who had been summoned stepped forward. He did not rush to the throne quickly like many flatterers eager to win favor with the Jade Emperor, nor did he travel with unnecessary slowness. His steps were perfectly measured as a meticulous way to keep his body in check. As he finally reached the customary spot to kneel, he did so, and in a manner that none could argue about as not being respectable.

His chains rattled against themselves as they pooled on the ground near where his right hand lay. His left arm was perfectly placed on his knee – again in the "proper" fashion.

Eyes closed, the current Prince of War looked like any other god in Heaven. Well, not many gods would wear his particular choice in clothes, but then again he needed to have an outfit suitable for combat - not the customary paper pushing. The only object that gave away his heresy was the chain that bound his wrists.

"Prince Homura," the Emperor began, "I am pleased with the… execution… of your past few tasks." The humor was not lost upon those attending to the Emperor, but the prince kept his body still and his mouth shut. "Would you be able to take on another job so soon after your last one?"

It was not a question of concern. The heretic knew that if a job needed to be done, his condition would not prevent Heaven from assigning him the task. After all, he knew that all he was good for in their eyes was to commit all the blasphemies that Heaven did not want to take personal responsibility for.

"I am at your disposal."

He spoke the words that they wanted to hear. As he was right now, he had no control over his fate.

I am only a puppet to them…

At his voice, several gossipers whispered to themselves. He did not miss the jabs at his heritage – he was the filthy demi-god who just happened to be Heaven's most recent heresy. Homura amended his previous thought – he was not only their scapegoat, but also the main target for slander.

As always, he did his best to push out the hissing of the whispers as the Emperor continued to speak to him.

"…very good." I missed something, Homura thought idly. "Your next mission is to finish the job that your predecessor had started." Mismatched eyes few open quickly at the statement as the Emperor elaborated. "Although instead of sealing the Gyumaoh away, you are now to kill him."

The whispers grew in volume as Homura remained in his submissive position. The small talk was no longer about him – well, not him directly – but of events that took place five hundred years ago. A time that seemed like an eternity and yet a day ago.

"Leave none in that castle alive. All are guilty of conspiring to revive such a monster. Do you understand?"

"But your highness, I was under the impression that Kanzeon Bosatsu-sama was taking care of that in her own fashion.." Who in Heaven had not heard of the reincarnations of "the three rebel gods" – one being Kanzeon's own nephew – and the only rumored "pure blooded heretic" in the whole world to be sent on a holy mission? Some attributed the startling "coincidence" as just another one of Kanzeon's amusements. Others thought that it would be only fitting if those four laid to rest one of the many problems of 500 years ago. Personally, Homura was curious about the four hellions' own view on the subject.

"Never send a human out to do a god's job. It is taking too long. Make sure there is no way for Gyumaoh to ever be resurrected."

His audience with the Emperor was over. Closing his eyes again, Homura lowered his head further and spoke softly.

"As you wish."

Gone.

Everything he had once known was gone.

Hotou castle had been his home since before he was born, and before Gyokumen Koushu had transformed it into her base of operations. It had contained everything that he had ever valued in life. Friends… his family… It had been the center of his universe.

Gone.

The castle was now a pile of rubble, with the debris littering the ground past the horizon. It was hard to imagine that anything had once stood there. The pieces of stone and wood were warped so badly by pressure and intense fire that one couldn't even tell apart the different places the materials used to reside from within the building. Some stone was still hot from the explosion, so hot that not even he, a master of wielding fire, could tolerate it.

Seeing a column that had somehow managed to stay intact, he concentrated his remaining strength to jump onto the top. From his new perch, it was a bit easier to look out over the smoking wasteland.

Kougaiji had been looking for hours for survivors. He had not known how long he himself had been knocked out after all hell broke loose, but by the position of the sun in the sky, he figured that it hadn't been too long. If he had been able to make it, surely others could have…

When he awoke, his mind had already been filled with pain. Not by anything physical, but by the last memories that resided in his mind before he blanked out. Seeing Lirin lain out before the massive shell of their father's body – him being unable to do anything as he saw Gyokumen pierced the heart of her own flesh and blood.

Her daughter.

His little sister.

Apparently the little princess had gotten word of the plans somehow even before he did, but had not done anything to prevent being taken into custody. She did not try to break free as she was put into shackles to ensure that she would hold still. When he moved to try to free her, it was only her words that were able to hold him back.

"If Oniichan's mother came back, then he'd really be happy…"

"I want Oniichan to be happy."

With her death, the ceremony to resurrect Gyumaoh had begun, and things began to go downhill. Almost immediately after the ceremony began, Kougaiji had received word that the Sanzo-ikkou were approaching the castle. Even without his sutra, which had been taken from him only hours beforehand, the blonde high priest would still come to fight and reclaim what was his.

Kougaiji admired the human for walking into a battle that he knew he would not survive. He had heard the rumors that Sanzo had been divinely commanded to stop their plans, and knew in the back of his mind that, truthfully, the priest did not have a choice in the matter. He was a slave to the chakra he wore on his forehead, just as the demon prince was a slave to his birthright.

His father had been regaining strength slowly during the ceremony, but it was exactly how it was supposed to come out, according to Nii Jenyi's calculations. However, the scientist had not calculated all of the possible variables to the equation.

Many of the demons had expected the Sanzo-ikkou's approach to be somewhat soon, but none believed that it would happen in the middle of the resurrection. As the high priest walked into the room, he saw the sutras in use and began to chant. As soon as the words left his lips, both the Maten and Seiten sutras flew towards their rightful owner.

It was then that his world was pushed into hell.

Kougaiji still could not make sense in his jumbled brain what had happened after that point. But he had remembered a terrible explosion – and the flame almost seemed to be in the shape of a great flamed dragon.

Maybe I hit my head harder than I thought… Not even his father had been able to summon a dragon of fire.

The prince's desperation grew as time stretched on. He had earlier found the bodies of Dokugakuji, Gojyo and Hakkai lying in an enclosed space that he could not get to. His demon senses told him that all three were dead. Doku's body was burned beyond recognition, and the only way he could identify him was by the unique sword that the water sprite still had clenched in his fits. It appeared that, in the end, he did his best to protect his younger brother – even if he failed.

Gojyo and Hakkai were both burned, but it appeared that Doku took the brunt of the attack. While they also had fatal burns across their bodies, he could still make out their faces – marred as they were. The half demon's shakujou had melted into a puddle of hot steel.

Sensing life nearby, the prince jumped down from the pillar and headed roughly in the direction of his mother's chamber. Who would be in there? He thought to himself. Of course, chaos had reigned supreme moments before he blacked out, but most demons knew better than to intrude on the true lady to the castle's private compartments.

Kougaiji had known the castle so well he would have been able to navigate in it blindfolded, but even he had problems finding the original general pathway among the rubble. He passed countless bodies of his warriors as he searched for the one who clung to life. There was no mistaking it – the demon in question was in his mother's room.

As he stepped "through" the threshold, he saw what he had only imagined in his worst nightmares. The pillar that had once contained his mother had not been exempt from the destruction. A fleeting part of him had hoped that it might have been knocked to its side, but it too had broken into countless pieces. He wanted to vomit when he saw the petrified piece of earring – seemingly broken off a statue – lying at his feet.

"Lord Kougaiji…"

Yaone? She's still alive?!

"Yaone, where are you?" He moved quickly in the direction that he had felt her presence. His mind had been so jumbled that he could not tell friend from the other occupants in the castle. What kind of demon prince was he, anyways?

"Lord Kougaiji, my lord… I'm over here…" she did not seem to have the strength to give out extensive directions. When he finally reached where she was, he simply froze at the horror that he saw.

His apothecary was trapped beneath a mammoth pillar that had cracked in two.

Rasetsunyo's pillar.

He could tell from where she lay and the look in her eyes, there was nothing that he could do.

"I'm so sorry, Lord Kougaiji," she apologized, "I could not save Lady Rasetsunyo. I-"

Before he knew what he was doing, Kougaiji found himself by her side, placing a finger gently on her lips. He did not want her going into death with regrets. No words were exchanged – she simply tried to smile that calm and quiet smile that she always seemed to save for him. Was she still in pain, or had her body reached beyond that point? He did not have the heart to ask.

The life slowly faded from her eyes, and Kougaiji brought himself closer to her body so that he could hold her.

He could only blame himself for not being able to save his mother. And because of the blind devotion that he had towards her, he had eventually caused both his sister and Yaone to die.

They had only wanted him to be happy.

Now he was the only one left alive, and all he could feel was pain.

According to his mission briefing, Homura knew that Hotou Castle was supposedly located in a rocky area devoid of vegetation. He had been expecting boulders, loose stones here and there, and especially sloped surfaces. He had not expected to arrive in the building's smoking remains.

While he did not stumble as his feet touched the debris that hid the ground, it still succeeded at catching his attention to his surroundings much more quickly.

There was nothing left. Even if he assaulted the castle alone when it still stood and was armed to the teeth, he would have not caused this much damage. Judging by the temperature of the rocks and the dust settling in the air, Homura gauged that Hotou had somehow met its end several hours ago.

But I was given this mission less than an hour ago, he remembered. Why send me down to a wasteland? Homura did not feel the presence of the Gyumaoh like they said that he should have – all he could feel was death. It was what he always felt when he had to go on one of the many errands for the Emperor – the feeling in the air that someone's soul had just been torn from their body. It was the sensation he always experienced when a life ended in a sudden and unnatural way.

It was difficult to make out even the figures of the many fallen demons – most buried under the mortar and brick or burned in a sickening camouflage with the rest of the debris. It wasn't until a small breeze brought a fragment of green and white parchment in front of his gaze that his attention strayed from his surroundings.

Catching the piece before it flew beyond his reach, Homura turned it over in his hand. It seemed to be made from a very fancy form of parchment, and it wasn't until he peered at the writing that he realized exactly what it was.

In order to revive Gyumaoh, six things had been needed – the Five Founding Sutras of Heaven and Earth, and a sacrifice that was related to the bull demon himself. This piece of parchment was from one of those sutras – he could tell by the bits of writing he saw on one of the sides. They were from the texts that only those that held the position of "Sanzo" and a few of the gods could utter. The breeze blew more fragments around him, and the demi-god turned into the wind's direction to see where they were coming from.

Homura was surprised when he saw two figures untouched by the burns that the rest of the castle's occupants had suffered. While they had not escaped the collapsing of the actual building, their bodies were not disfigured by charred flesh. Drawing nearer, Homura almost smiled.

"Konzen Doji," he whispered, "You really haven't changed, have you?"

The body of the reincarnated god did not move in response to the voice. That is all that you are right now, the raven-haired prince mused. Your soul has left your body again. But would the gods in Heaven take his soul back, along with those of his companions Kenren and Tenpou? After the disaster five hundred years ago that was so terrible that everyone's memories had been sealed away, the souls of the three gods had been sentenced to the same fate as his beloved Rinrei – be incarcerated into the lower world as a mortal and have a short life. But Rinrei had lived to an old age, even if such a life was still considered short in comparison to eternity. Konzen and the others had only been in their twenties. Would they be reincarnated to finish their punishment? Or had this even shorter-existence been filled with enough pain to satisfy the Gods?

Red trickled slowly down from the wound in Konzen's chest – blood flow mostly obstructed by the object that still impaled both him and the one he had been trying to protect. It had done no good, for Homura could feel no life coming from the once energetic Son Goku.

As he lay underneath his keeper, he seemed to look up at the god with an expression of contentment on his face. In death, the heretic's twin golden eyes had not closed, gazing at Homura with an ominous expression behind it. The war prince had not thought that it was possible to kill the Great Sage whose power rivaled that of Heaven. Then again, many things that seemed impossible became possible in this world.

He had even thought that it might have been possible to overthrow the heavens – but the means in which to do so lay shattered at his feet. Seiten Taisei was gone. The sutras had taken to the wind like chaff in a field, scattering their remains farther than the eye could see.

Lowering himself to the level of the two fallen figures, the prince ran his hand over his fellow heretic's face, drawing his eyelids shut forever. As he pulled back, he noted how Son Goku's expression seemed to suit him more – the mask of death no longer looked so grisly with the absence of the soulless eyes.

A noise rose from the ruins, giving the destruction a voice. It was a cry of anguish, and in the form of a name he did not recognize. Vision darkening, Homura was yet again reminded of his task. He had though, at first that this seemingly timely disaster would have done it for him, but it sounded like someone had somehow lived.

His orders had been to leave none alive.

Kougaiji could not bring himself to leave her side. He knew that she was gone and that nothing he could do would bring her back – but something kept him from moving. Maybe it was because he could actually touch her. Maybe it was because he had actually been able to talk to her briefly, unlike Doku or his sister.

It was just… she didn't look dead. While burns marred her perfect skin and her blue hair was singed, the smile had remained on her face as her soul had left her body. That expression made her look like she was only sleeping. His heart and mind warred with each other – denial battled the reality. Kougaiji knew that his demon senses did not lie – he could no longer hear a heartbeat. Her breath had stopped. But…

The demon prince did not know if it was a blessing or a curse to see her lie like that – so "alive" in death. He had cared about his friends deeply, but it got to the point where he could not look at her face.

Mind still numb with shock, it took him a moment to notice the presence that had abruptly appeared about a hundred yards from where he was. At first, he thought he was looking at the priest, but quickly dismissed the notion. Sanzo's hair was not black, and he did not wear a cape that had a fiery pattern around its lower edge. Sanzo also did not have two different colors for eyes.

It was here that Kougaiji's mind became slightly confused. As he focused his senses on the spirit that the stranger emitted, he sensed a certain "divine" aspect about him – one that he sensed in the priest each time they had encountered each other. He also sensed a part of his spirit that was akin to his eternal rival Goku's, and wondered if the fact that the stranger had a gold eye had anything to do with it. However, the third sensation seemed to overwhelm him as his memory was brought back to another vicious battle.

His spirit was almost exactly like Nataku – the god who had subjugated his father.

Kougaiji's face must have betrayed his question, for the very first thing he found the stranger saying was the answer he had been curious about.

"I am the Prince of War," he said simply, "and had originally come to finish the job of my predecessor, but it appears that that is no longer necessary."

"Then what are you still doing here?" Kougaiji asked in a tone harsher than he had expected.

The god remained silent for a full minute as he seemed to collect his thoughts. "I have found no other survivors besides yourself. I assume that you did not find any others as well?"

Briefly glancing back at his apothecary's body, he slowly nodded his head. "I had thought that maybe…" he paused, not able to continue for a moment. "…If I had just found her earlier I might have been able to do something." His eyes squeezed shut at the pain of his helplessness. "I know that she would have not been able to make it, but if she could have gone through a little less pain…"

"And how would have that helped you?" the god questioned lightly. "Even if you could have rid her of the pain, it would not stop the fact that she was still dying. You still would have been helpless."

"I know that!" Kougaiji replied vehemently, "but she had always been devoted to me – suffering for me. In the end she died trying to protect someone I could not save myself. If I could have made it easier for her…"

"It seems to me like you still did."

The demon prince noticed that the god was no longer looking at him, but at Yaone. He turned back to face her, and saw yet again the smile on her face.

Kougaiji opened his mouth to reply, but found himself only repeating what he said earlier. "Why are you still here?" When he turned back to face the stranger again, he found that the god had moved closer.

"Do you hate heaven?"

The demon's eyes narrowed. "What kind of question is that?"

"There are those who would oppose the gods - even if it meant that they might bring eternal damnation on themselves for doing so." The stranger looked down briefly at the chain that bound his wrists before continuing. "I was curious to see if you happened to be one of those individuals."

Kougaiji could feel his anger flare. "The gods should mind their own damn business."

Unfazed, the god held his ground. "But if your father had not been subjugated before, how many lives would have been lost while he roamed free?"

"How many have lost their lives because of the revival?" the demon shot back.

"You condemn it yet you support it," he noted. "Isn't that hypocritical?"

"If I'm hypocritical, then what does that make the gods?"

The black haired god stopped to think. "I guess that would make us something worse then."

It shocked Kougaiji to hear a god insult his own kind. Gods did not meddle in the affairs of mortals directly except in severe circumstances. He had only met a god once before. They hadn't really had the opportunity to sit down and chat, he remembered sarcastically, but then again, it would have been hard to really have a civil conversation with the one who had bound him for five hundred years in the same location.

The god's words brought him out of his musings. "Do you seek retribution?"

"I only wanted…"

"-to free your mother," The god finished for him.

He should have not been surprised that the god knew – didn't the deities claim to be omniscient? Kougaiji himself had never told anyone outside his own comrades the reason for his actions.

"My mother was the kindest soul in the world - yet she was sealed away in a fashion similar to my father. She was guilty of his crimes, even though she did not commit them."

"An accomplice," he whispered.

"Pardon?"

"Heaven saw her as an accomplice – as they see you now," he pointed out.

"I didn't want my father back," Kougaiji vehemently stated.

"Then you should not have tried to resurrect him."

"I had my reasons."

"Yes, I am well aware of that." As he took a step closer, he summoned a large sword into his right hand. Kougaiji tensed at seeing the weapon appear, and fell into a defensive stance.

"What about now?" the god continued as he looked out over the castle's foundation, getting the demon to follow his gaze. "Can you still find a reason to live after you've seen this?"

Could he? He was alone – he would have to start his life over again. But if his friends were not there and he had no decent rival to compete with, what did he truly have to live for?

"I'm not sure," he spoke truthfully, "But I'm not weak enough to take my own life." How would I be able to face Yaone if I escaped from my own failure in death? I really would be a hypocrite then.

"What are you still doing here?" Kougaiji found himself repeating a third time.

The god's expression became unreadable, but then he had completely disappeared from the demon's senses. Less than a second later, he felt a searing sensation in his chest, making his mind shut down as he realized that he had been impaled.

"I'm only doing my job," the god said in an even tone, as if he were struggling to retain a professional manner. However, Kougaiji could hear the faint bits of emotion that destroyed the professional manner in his mind.

"You are not weak," the god agreed. "Were there more gods with your kind of resolve, then perhaps you would not have had to face this fate."

Kougaiji had lost the strength to talk as the life quickly left his body. He managed to form a small smirk as he felt his body slump onto the blade of the sword.

"I am sorry, friend," the god whispered as the Prince of Demons closed his eyes for the last time.

And then there was only darkness.

::Fin::

The new demon has arrived... the Rugi!

Sun, 03 Apr 2005 03:14:10 GMT

Yo, I'm Rugi!

I like the Saiyuki anime and Kougaiji is one of my favorite characters. When I first saw him in the anime and book, I thought he was pretty badass. Anyway. I am working on a couple fanfics about him and a few artworks, which I may share in the future, due to me being busy.

Anyway... I hope I enjoy my stay here.