The Deadly Seven, Episode 1 : Love or Lust?

[Dr. Ni Jianyi]

'Even the Seiten Taisei is affected by that mist, hm?' That told him a great deal. It was potent stuff then. But how was it that Sanzo was unaffected? Ukoku propped an arm on his one hand as he rubbed his chin with the other, trying to figure that out. How strange indeed. Would Lust's other powers affect him? He had yet to use the Carnel Kiss on anyone, though the way he eyed Hakkai, he might be plotting to do so and possibly afflict him with the mist.

"Hm?"

Ukoku looked from the trio as Lust became the pinball of doom, smashing the pillars maintaining the temple's integrity. 'Well shoot, this place is going to come down like a house of cards now.' He would have much rather seen the Fenghuang do as he asked and burn the structure down, but the Sin's method was entertaining as well. Activating his scripture, the dark priest negated the space between himself and the temple walls to teleport outside where he would avoid being crushed by the collapsing temple. Waiting for the rest of the Ikkou, he turned to watch Lust take off for the walled front gates.

'Odd, just what does he have up his sleeve now...?'

So far, Lust seemed as erratic in his thought processes as Gojyo tended to be. He did not plan or dissect the situation, he purely acted. He threw everything against the wall until something stuck. That was not a good sign, but then again, the beautiful weren't expected to do much with their brains. He would just continue to wait and watch until he needed to step into the fray. 'He needs to stop playing with his food already...' Ukoku felt himself growing increasingly bored. He was itching to return to his lab with their weapon to run some tests. Of course, he couldn't leave until he had his ring back somehow. Even a chunk of it would do just fine. Staying close to the shadows, Ukoku practically melted in with the darkness. Once the opportunity arose, he'd take it back...

And leave Sanzo a little more holy in the process.

[Raditz]

Posting in for Hakkai :

It was a relief that reason prevailed and that Sanzo was able to put Seiten Taisei back in his cage. But that relief was painfully shortlived as a flash of blue and violet caught in the corner of his eye gave way to a whole new beast of a problem. "...!" Hakkai jerked around, watching as Lust hit the first of the pillars. 'Shit...Not good!'

As loathe as he was to do it, he saw little other choice as he shifted his hands back, a sphere of glowing energy building rapidly. He had to blast Gojyo off his destructive course before he took out too many of the pillars and the upper levels became compromised. Without warning or apology, the youkai threw the blast upward as Lust was just hitting the second pillar. He was shocked at the Sin's speed when his blast missed and the altered hanyou was on the way to do more damage. There was no way he was going to be able to concentrate and blast him in the time it was taking him to destroy the integrity of the temple. 'If this is what a Sin using someone of Gojyo's strength is like, I would hate to see the ones that would be like Mr. Vegeta or Mr. Goku...' The idea made his mind wander to Seras for a split second, who was off in West City near where their journey was meant to take them. He hoped she didn't get into any trouble before he resumed his concern with their current situation.

"Come here...! Quickly!" The brunette called to the panicking monks, some of whom managed to collect their senses enough to actually listen as he began to focus his energy. The other monks who were less inclined to listen were rushing for whatever exit from the main hall as the ceiling groaned threateningly as debris started to trickle down. First dust and slivers of broken wood, then rubble started to fall as the stone began giving way as well. Lust beat his hasty retreat through the front just as Ukoku did the same, though somehow he seemed able to teleport.

'Are those powers he is personally capable of or is it the scripture?' The monocled healer wondered as he created the shield overhead to protect them from the falling debris, since the only other person he had seen do such a thing was the older Goku they had met a while ago. Hakkai looked up, seeing that the shield wouldn't protect them very well for long, especially when the whole building came down. He would mull over the details about Ukoku and his scripture later when he could afford it. "Sanzo, grab Goku! And get us an opening out! Quickly!"

Once a way out was cleared and they had made the hasty trek out of the temple in the short amount of time they had, he shielded his good eye from the dust kicked up as the temple finally crumbled into a shattered heap. He closed his emerald eyes tightly, feeling dizzy from the energy he spent, though he was rather pleased with the strength and radius of that particular shield. As the monks lamented over the destruction of their structure, he slowly opened eyes as he started to sense a swell in power in the direction of East City. No, Gojyo didn't go to the city, did he...?! Part of him wished it was Ukoku, but that energy was unmistakable. Speaking of tall, dark and sinister...Where had the black clad priest gone? So far, the man had yet to show his colors as a threat in battle but there was no way he was assuming him gone and out of their hair.

"I'm afraid we'll have to leave Goku here, Sanzo...I don't know what Gojyo is doing, but I think his target may be the city." It still wasn't clear how they were supposed to stop him, let alone purge the Sin's influence. He wasn't even sure how Gojyo wound up corrupted or what the source was, but he was certain it had to do with that other night at the restuarant. Perhaps there was a medium lodged in him, he recalled that he had sensed something unusual back then when he had healed his friend, that was likely the source of their problems. "You'll have to bind him with the sutra until we can figure something out. I'll try to distract him so you can get close enough to use the scripture..."

Shit plan, but at the moment, he was making it up as he went for now.

[Genjo Sanzo]

For the only words that he had spoken for this entire battle, the Fenghuang had spoken well.

Even despite knowing that he was a demon now, and that the Maten could be very dangerous for him, he showed no signs of agitation or fear as the papers fluttered around him, though a strange look of relief did flash across his eyes for a moment before disappearing in the haze of concentration. He was beginning to grasp control of his mind again, and using the Sutra was helping him remember to keep control of the berserker rage that had threatened to consume him.

Oddly enough, he was beginning to understand how easy it was for Seiten Taisei to lose himself so easily. Or how Hakkai always seemed to change to a slightly darker persona in the few times they had seen him in his demon form. Come to think of it... That was only about once, maybe.

With each passing moment, it was really becoming clearer to think, though he was still just a bit more impulsive and instinctual then his normal self.

Still, before he knew it, his hand was over the monkey's forhead, a golden glow appearing around him. For just a moment, something... seemed to react inside of him, the golden glow causing his eyes to glaze over for just a momen-

Blinking, he shook his head as something jarred him out of what felt like a memory, but wasn't. Had that been his voice? Strange.

He didn't have time to dwell on it, as the structure around him began to groan dangerously. Jerking his head up, he was able to catch the sight of the Sin jumping from pillar to pillar, taking them out each time. A qi blast went straight past him, missing the Sin entirely, but still caused his eyes to blaze, his gaze turning to Hakkai before he winced.

Don't be an idiot, Kouryuu. Get ahold of yourself. He was trying to stop him before he brought this whole fucking place down! Too late for that. Without even bothering to respond to Hakkai, keeping up that whole creepy silent thing, he scooped up the unconscious chimp.

It was about then that he realized that the scarf had been misplaced from Goku's mouth. But why had he had the scarf to begin with again? Had it been the mist? But the mist wasn't doing anything... Glancing around, he saw the one-eyed giggler with his mouth and nose covered. The monks, those who weren't drooling, had their mouths and noses covered. And now that he thought about it, Ukoku had covered his mouth and nose as well.

I don't understand. The mist isn't doing anything... But it did. It must have fucked with the chimp's head. And the monks there. Breaking into a run, he followed Hakkai out, frowning in thought as he tried to dodge falling rubble and keep himself and Goku from getting squashed like insects. A glance upwards showed him a shield, causing him to look at Hakkai again.

So he put up a shield... Damn it all. Get your head in the game. Hakkai can't pull this off by himself.

There was, however, an unmistakable surge of power that he sensed as clearly as Hakkai. And it was over the city. Which automatically meant that it wasn't good.

Just like that, he had an idea. He wasn't sure it would work, but he didn't have time to fill Hakkai in. They needed the Sin to get close to them, and he wasn't about to with him seemingly immune to the mist. Perhaps if he faked falling prey to the sickly mist, the Sin would be lured in to try to manipulate him against Hakkai, or something.

That would get him close enough. And it wasn't like he didn't have lust. He just hid it. He knew Gojyo too well enough that the Sin would enjoy taunting him. A dozen images flashed through his mind, of Gojyo showing anger over his apparent lack of interest or his brash manner towards him.

Show an interest, and whatever's corrupting him will take advantage of it to taunt him. Somehow, he knew that Gojyo was in there. Maybe it was something that he had seen earlier in the fight. Either way, he was going to give it a shot.

Faking a stagger, he fell to one knee, letting Goku fall from his arms as he drooped his eyes worse then usual, wings falling to the ground. He had observed enough of the monks affected, and enough drunks in his life, to know how to act. Then, groaning inwardly, he took a deep inhale of the mist, somehow managing not to gag on the overly sweet scent.

[Sha Gojyo]

All around the temple and slithering through the city streets, the dark blue mist intensified in its potency and density. Sight was obscured to the point where many could hardly see but a few feet around them...Not that it accounted for much considering what it made people do. Children for the most part were unaffected, but once the night was done, they would need years of therapy to deal with some of the...horrors some of them might have wound up witness to. That thought made the Sin smirk as he soaked up the incoming energies. Unfortunately, out of the seven, Lust would be the only one who would never be at full strength. The lack of a nearby moon actually left him weaker then he should have been. Had there been a moon, he wouldn't have had to worry about relying on the mortals below for added power.

'There has to be some way around that problem...But I'll worry about that later.'

The Sin pondered his chances against the scripture now. Sin was as old and ancient as mankind, nay, any living creature was, right down to some of their more primitive levels and a dark cousin of nature. The scriptures had been used to found Heaven and Earth, perhaps Earth more so than Heaven, after all, if there had been no Heaven from which they oriented, then where had they initially come from? They might be more ancient, if not alien, in origin then Lust was giving them credit for. No matter, they would see whether the script of the infernal dark could stand up to one of the underworld's more potent demons.

He was torn from his musing as a thunderous crash signaled the finishing fall of Orin's main temple and he turned to have a look from his perch over the gates. The dust kicked up was impressive and he happily imagined many monks painfully skewered and crushed in the rubble. "Oooh...Poor Sanzo, his temple's in ruins." Lust put his hands to his cheeks in a mock display of dismay. "Perhaps a kiss will make him feel better."

Licking his lips, the altered kappa jumped down from the gates to saunter his way back to the demolition site. The paralytic poison in his lips would make for short work with the monk and the monocled man so long as he had a hold of them for the right amount of time. Perhaps he would give the monkey a good long kiss too. He was fairly certain he could hold onto any one of them long enough for the poison to shut their systems down. Once that was done, he might play with them a little before he left for her demon gate.

'I can't believe that shit just went through my head, you sick son of a-' For a moment, the crimson orbs of Lust's eyes went out of focus before he shook his head.

"No, no...None of that." He muttered to himself, coming upon the trio and the monks who had managed to make it out all right. His serpentine violet locks shifted as he looked them over. The denser, more potent mist was actually starting to affect them, he could see the monks' eyes watering, their eyelids heavy while blood rushed to their faces and could hear them cough now and then. They were resisting or trying to at least. How cute. He smirked at Hakkai who was squinting more than he normally did before he looked at Sanzo who was slumping down now. Ha, so maybe he didn't need to kiss them to death after all?

"I thought you were immune there for a second, Cherry-chan...But I guess even someone who's so 'holier than thou' can succumb to his urges?" The Sin stopped his slow, flaunting walk to stop several yards before them, letting the mist part so they were all visible to each other. He saw no sign of Ukoku, that dirty little sneak. Lust squinted at the feathered demon.

Just because Sanzo looked like he was falling prey to the mist, that didn't mean he actually was. He had almost seemed completely immune the entire time much to Lust's confusion, and while the mist was even stronger now, he found it questionable that he wasn't anymore. The damned monk had a hell of a poker face too, for all he knew this was some clever act. Flicking some of his long hair back from his blood spattered face, most of his skin covered in the same manner which made him him look like the grim reaper, he called an order to the blond in a low purr. "Throw aside that sutra and come over here, peacock."

Lust was wary about getting too close due to what the blond could do with the sutra. If Sanzo was actually under the influence of the mist, then he was very unlikely to ignore that order. If he wound up not tossing away the sutra but came to him, he would have to take some evasive actions. His dark eyes shifted to Hakkai. The brunette was resisting as well, but he was more likely to lose that battle, then he would be a weapon he could utilize against the priest.

[Yanma Li]

"Look! Just because we have one whore working here does not make this a damn whorehouse!"

Gas masks were not fashion savvy and it was hard to understand why a girl like Yanma was toting one around...But being a fan of zombie movies and games, knowing that mysterious gases pouring out of no where was never a good sign and the belief that one should never be unprepared, Yanma made sure she was. Now with her gas mask on, as Wutai sat in his kitchen while blissfully oblivious to the sexual debauchery taking place outside, she was beating bewitched and horny customers away from the restaurant. She blamed this on Gojyo, even though he wasn't even there the whole day, and she would make sure her aunt was well aware of the situation and how he was at fault.

She stood with the bloodied bat cocked on her shoulder with a piled ring of men and women knocked unconscious as she glanced around the frenzied street. "What the hell...You can't do that out here! Sick! And you! Put that back in your pants!" Shit, she was going to have to e-mail the police department a long fucking list with the names of all the people she saw doing horrific things in the streets.

"Ooh! Laila, I knew you were a slut!"

[Cho Hakkai]

"Hm...?"

Hakkai frowned, now suddenly aware of a soft, sweet scent. It actually vaguely reminded him of Kanan in a way...She had often worn a perfume that was a mixture of lavender and vanilla. His mind started to cloud over at the memory before unexpected movement brought him back to the present. Wait...What was wrong with Sanzo? And why was his good eye starting to sting and burn...? It took him a sluggish moment to realize that he was becoming more aware of the mist. So Lust had intensified it, but why? It must have had to do with that surge of energy that swept over the city before settled into one key location : Where Lust had been perched.

He then became aware of how clouded the temple complex had become and he was sure the city was no better. 'Lust...Ah, now I see. He's incited it in the city and...Oh my, I'm rather glad I'm not there to see what's going on.' Now was not the time for a nervous yet amused laugh, he reminded himself. For a second, he was thankful that Seras was out of town. Seras...Whoa, shaking his head to banish the dreamy feeling coming over him as well as to rid himself of those provocative images, he doubled, no tripled the layering of his scarf in an attempt to better shield himself from breathing in the mist. It wasn't exactly the best idea, considering it was hampering his own ability to just be able to breathe but he was running out of options. Seeing Sanzo slump down, Goku sliding to the floor, it was possible his selection was growing slimmer.

'Sanzo hasn't been affected until now...?' That was remotely possible, but how had he been immune to begin with? The brunette shifted away from Sanzo on the off chance that he would possibly become hostile, though it seemed that as Lust joined them, now more energized then before, he was ordered to come over without the sutra rather than possibly attack him. He pressed a palm to his good eye, trying to ignore the burning as he considered the almighty question.

Sanzo had never been one to ever really show amorous desires, so part of him wanted to figure out if it was a matter of...Noooooooo...Maybe? Noooooooo...His green eyes shifted from Sanzo to Gojyo, then back. Well, Sanzo had a unique way of acting around Gojyo. He also seemed especially harsh when Gojyo was putting the moves on a pretty girl, or even a good enough looking man, earning a swift smack of the fan for his efforts. In fact, Sanzo seemed exceptionally quick to break the disciplinary tool out on the kappa's head in those matters. But he was also just as quick to shove Gojyo away when the redhead was too bold with him. 'Curious...but in a roundabout way, it would make sense.'

The other possibility was Sanzo's penchant for chastity, being one of the cardinal rules as a monk that Hakkai figured was the only rule he really adhered to. Then again, Sanzo didn't boast about sexual conquest like Gojyo did, let alone discuss anything close to that subject. For all he knew, the priest might not be as pure in that regard as he wondered. Speaking of...Damn near every monk had fallen prey to the mist, at least one had to be chaste in body and mind. 'Or does it matter if it's physical or mental either way?' Hakkai found it humanly impossible to not fantasize at least once, even for Sanzo, so he ruled that out. 'I will drive myself mad trying to figure out why he's immune...I should focus more on getting out of this bind.'

How were they supposed to fight something like this anyway? If Sanzo were truly immune and putting on an act, then he was afraid the monk might wind up on his own, whether due to his own falling to the mist or accidentally smothering himself with his own scarf into unconsciousness...On that note, he loosened his scarf enough for some air, fog be damned. Breathing through his mouth wasn't that much better but it beat suffocating. His brows furrowed at the demon's request, knowing if Sanzo really wanted his act to work, he would have to do it, Hakkai just hoped it wasn't in his direction or it would look questionable.

However, if it wasn't an act...It was looking rather bleak. Goku was unconscious and might remain so for a while yet, not only did becoming unleashed take it out of him but his previous injuries had put a strain on him despite the healing he received. He himself could not utilize the sutra and they had another enemy lurking in the shadows somewhere, as he was not convinced the strange man had left. 'If push comes to shove, I'll have to get Goku and the sutra out of here...'