Chapter Six

Goku felt as if he were floating a million miles away from his body. He could feel a deep burning sensation thrumming throughout him and yet he felt so detached from himself that the pain no longer affected him any longer.

"This is strange," he told himself. "I feel like I should be doing something, that I've got somewhere important to be, but what?"

The monkey could feel his mind settling into a soothing calm lulled by a gentle chanting.

"Chanting?" muttered Goku. "That weird demon guy was chanting. Shouldn't I be stopping him?"

The thought quickly floated away quietened by the peace.

Goku's body jerked as he felt a sensation like a sharp tug around his heart. His eyes lazily opened pondering the feeling. The tug came again stronger this time, strong enough to momentarily seize the breath from him. His mind snapped awake with the motion. He could clearly hear the chanting now, beating down on his ears and causing his head to throb. His heart stuttered and began to pulse to the same rhythm as the chants. The tugging sensation returned dragging a gasp from Goku's mouth as the air was stolen from him again. There was no peace or calm in him now. He knew exactly what was happening. He had to break free somehow and find the others. He had to find Sanzo.

Goku bellowed with rage and frustration as he began pulling hard against the invisible bonds that held him chained in his mind. The need to fight overwhelmed him and he struggled with as much energy as he could muster to try and drag himself back into his body where he could fight the enemy with his fists instead of screaming his rage at him. His limbs burned as he began to hit his limits.

'I can't give up,' Goku thought as he battled the weariness that began to seep into his flesh. 'I need to be free. I need to help Sanzo.'

With the last bit of energy he could muster, Goku pulled hard his voice pouring out of him in a loud determined roar.

x x x x x x x x x x x x

Sweat trickled into Sanzo's eyes adding to the torments that were already being inflicted on him. His hand instinctively shifted to wipe the irritation away but he was bound too tightly for it to do anything more than rub the already biting rope deeper into his tender wrists. He gritted his teeth. Another shiver tore through him as the cold penetrated his bare skin. The movement caused Artsei's hand to jerk within him intensifying the pain he already was in. Sanzo bit hard on his lip, drawing out a thin trickle of blood, and pushed his head back against the jagged bark as he willed his muscles to stop spasming in reaction to the movement. They eventually calmed allowing Sanzo to return to his short shallow breaths.

Artsei stood facing Sanzo, his eyes staring, shining with a glazed hue.

"You stay standing there chanting and I'm going to kill you," Sanzo growled from between gritted teeth. "Get your hand out of my stomach you disgusting demon bastard."

Artsei didn't show a single sign of hearing him and continued chanting, his hand remaining buried wrist deep into Sanzo's pale flesh.

The monk tried to shift his feet so as to get a better angle to try and lash out and break the demons concentration but his toes skidded in the sludge that had formed from the soaked mud beneath him. His body was wrenched downwards as he lost his balance jolting Artsei's steady hand up, tearing his body a little more. Before he could stop himself, Sanzo let out a howl of pain as his body became ablaze with white hot agony. Bright colours flashed before his eyes and a wave of nausea engulfed him. Sanzo fought against the ever nearing senselessness that was threatening to overcome him. If he blacked out now then he might as well give up all hope of seeing another dawn.

"Damn it," the monk hissed as he tried to gather his shattered thoughts and ignore the searing ache in his muscles. He was so close to succeeding when Artsei suddenly groaned and leaned forward into him, settling his head into the curve of his neck and pushing his hand further into the torn tissue.

Sanzo's vision went blindingly white and losing all of his focus he screamed and yelled one ragged cry after another until his throat was raw and red.

Artsei's lips moved smoothly against the skin beneath him whispering. "So close."

He opened his mouth wide and sank his teeth into Sanzo's throat embedding them deep into his vein and releasing the sweet metallic blood that flowed through them. He let the blood fill his mouth, the copper tang coating his tongue before it poured down his own throat.

Sanzo could feel his heart stutter and struggle to beat as a strong tugging sensation enveloped itself around it. The world began to go hazy and distant, and yet as much as Sanzo willed it away the pain was still there, wrapping itself around him in its piercing embrace.

x x x x x x x x x x x x

He wasn't sure if he had actually heard it at first or if it was just his mind tormenting him some more. The second time Sanzo screamed though, Goku knew.

"Sanzo!" he hollered, his rage building with furious intensity. "Sanzo! I'm coming Sanzo!"

His weak limbs felt refuelled again and somehow stronger than before as the sound of Sanzo's anguish tore through him, feeding his strength.

He pushed against his bindings with twice the ferocity he had ever managed before. His sun was relying on him now to stop his pain and nothing was going to stop him from reaching the monk.

Goku pushed harder and harder feeling the bindings start to weaken and snap.

"Sanzo!" he roared once more as with one final vigorous push he broke through the last part of his confine.

Goku lay confused for a second as his surroundings abruptly changed, before quickly opening his eyes. Artsei knelt above him, sweat dripping from his brow, his eyes wide and bewildered.

"How...?" he whispered breathily.

Goku snarled. "Where's Sanzo?"

"I... How...?"

Goku pushed against the ropes holding him until they began to fray and eventually snap. The instant he was free he shot his arm out and grabbed Artsei by the waistcoat, balling it up in his fist and dragging the demons face down to his until their noses were brushing against each others.

"Where's Sanzo?"

The situation he was in finally made Artsei's mind click back into reality, away from his shocked amazement.

Artsei sneered. "You irritating filthy little de..."

His sentence was cut abruptly short as Goku lashed out with his fist connecting hard with Artsei's stomach sending him sprawling backwards.

Goku had nothing left to say to him. He already knew that Artsei would never answer his questions. Instead he pounced and set upon him with his fists beating the demons face until he heard things break beneath his hands. He was just coming to the conclusion he should stop before he took things too far when Artsei disappeared.

Goku blinked in surprise it taking a moment for him to realise that he really had just completely gone. He patted the carpet before him, feeling the rough texture and reassuring himself that the demon hadn't just gone invisible, after the things he had seen tonight he wouldn't have put it past him.

His head shot around as his ears picked up another pained wail breaking through the noise of the storm.

Goku wrenched himself to his feet and charged out of the restaurant.

"Sanzo! Hold on I'm coming Sanzo!"