THE REQUIEM
Sanzo-ikkou were traveling across the desert when they became lost. While
determining their next route, they heard a feminine scream. It was a young woman
being chased by a huge bird demon. Hakkai quickly stepped on the accelerator
& drove the jeep into a forest. Goku attempted to fight but couldn’t.
Gojyo picked up the young woman (Koran). Sanzo (as usual) couldn’t be bothered
at all till the trio started to bug him. Annoyed, Sanzo stood up from his seat
and fired at the bird demon. Then, he used his Evil Sutras. To his surprise, the
bird demon speedily evaded the Sutras & hastily retreated. Koran thanked
them and offered them lodgings at her master’s place. Before entering, Sanzo
looked up at the sky.
Meanwhile, Kougaji-tachi, who happened to be tracking Sanzo-ikkou,
encountered the same bird demon. Using his fire casting spells, Kougaji had the
bird demon toasted. Among the ashes, they found an orange paper plane with
shikigami letterings on it.
After dinner, Koran showed the Sanzo-ikkou their rooms. Before falling
asleep, Hakkai was admiring the moonlight shimmering on the surface of the
river. When he looked up, he was shocked to see the sky pitch black. Where was
the moon?
Kougaji-tachi was diligently following the jeep tracks into the forest.
Instantly, they felt an energy barrier. Once again, Kougaji used his fire spells
& broke the barrier. No sooner he done that, zombies burst out of the
ground.
Hakkai went into Sanzo’s room & was almost shot. Luckily, Sanzo
wasn’t in a bad mood and said he already knew they were trapped inside a
demon’s lair. Besides, tonight was supposed to a full moon. Inside Gojyo’s
room, Gojyo was in a middle of his bath when Koran sneaked behind and tried to
stab him. The two fought and Gojyo eventually overpowered Koran. As the water
flowed into the drainage, Koran’s green hair became red. Staring at her red
hair & eyes, Gojyo realized Koran was a taboo child (half demon-half human).
As soon as the last zombie was destroyed, Dokugakaji believed they had
entered Oma’s territory. Oma was one of those rare demons who wanted to live
peace with humans. It was said he had made a place in the human world protected
by his illusions. Yaone continued the story and said for some unknown reason,
Oma & his entire race was wiped out within one night.
Heartbroken by her father’s death, Koran burst into tears. Gojyo comforted
her. The two nearly kissed each other but Hakkai ‘accidentally’ interrupted
them. Letting his guard down, Gojyo slipped on his shirt and was suddenly
stabbed in the stomach by Hakkai. Gojyo collapsed, bleeding profusely. The fake
Hakkai quietly ordered Koran to get rid of Gojyo and walked away. Koran burst
into fresh tears.
Meanwhile, the real Hakkai was on his way to his room (after Sanzo warned
him that he would kill anyone who disturbed his sleep) when he bumped into Goku
who sleepily told him that he couldn’t sleep because he kept hearing the sound
of running water. Following his senses, Hakkai traced the sound to Gojyo’s
room. Bursting into Gojyo’s room, he found blood on the floor. Then
(strangely), it started to rain outside. Hakkai & Goku went out and saw an
opened door, beckoning them to enter. They did. It was a prison cell and inside
the cell was Hakkai’s late wife, Kana. Hakkai was completely stunned.
Surprisingly, Gojyo was alive and (thought badly injured) somehow found his
way outside Sanzo’s room. Immediately, Sanzo fired. Gojyo protested loudly and
tried to warn Sanzo about Hakkai. After some time, Sanzo finally believed him
and held out his hand. Gojyo took it. Instantly, Sanzo accused Gojyo as a fake
for he would never take his hand. He shot Gojyo who turned into dust in a split
second.
Goku broke the chains and set Kana free. However, Hakkai (who found it a
cruel joke) blasted her and demanded for the mastermind to reveal himself. The
mastermind did, chuckling all the way the similarity between him and Hakkai, for
he too was a human. Astoundingly, Goku turned on Hakkai and strangled him till
he lost conscious.
In another room, Sanzo woke up the real Goku and told him to get ready.
It’s time to find the mastermind.
At the mastermind’s chamber, Koran entered and pleaded him for her
freedom. She moved forward. Instantaneously, the mastermind shrieked. At the
sound, the chamber was lit, exposing the orange paper planes that covered the
floor like a blanket. The mastermind calmed down and coldly said Koran would
have to kill the rest of the Sanzo-ikkou before she’s set freed.
Meanwhile, Goku followed Sanzo to stone prison which structure was exactly
like the one he was locked in at Mt. Gogyo. In the midst of his shock, the
mastermind chained him to the wall.
Inside a forest, Koran attended to the injured Gojyo. She then told him the
truth. A month ago, her kind-hearted father allowed a human to stay for the
night. However, the human had everyone killed and became a demon. Though she was
the sole survivor, he had placed a curse on her and made her his shikigami for
eternity.
Back to Goku, the mastermind was relentlessly repeating that he should be
the one to be with Sanzo and no one else should know more about Sanzo than
himself. Goku rebut and received 8 blows from the mastermind. Angered by
Goku’s composure, the mastermind used a Sanzo shikigami to strangle Goku.
Luckily for him, the real Sanzo shot the fake Sanzo dead. The mastermind
chuckled and commented that Sanzo hadn’t changed for the past three years.
Annoyed, Sanzo shot him dead. Turning the body over, Sanzo bent down to remove
the mask. To his horror, it was his late mentor, Kyomo Sanzo. The corpse then
turned into dust, revealing a hidden talisman, an orange paper plane. Angered,
Sanzo crushed it. The mastermind laughed and said he would be waiting for him at
the highest level.
At the forest, the fake Goku dragged Hakkai to an isolated area and was
about to kill him when Hakuryu came to the rescue, allowing Hakkai to regain
enough conscious to blast the fake Goku into dust.
As for Sanzo, he was trying to recall the identity of the mastermind. His
only clues were he knew about the orange paper planes and he probably came from
Changnan Temple. Once inside, the
mastermind’s chamber, the mastermind removed his mask & showed his face.
Sanzo instantly recognized him as Dokan (his personal servant). Going back to
the past, Dokan had longed for Sanzo to take him along during his missions.
However, Sanzo refused and always took Goku with him. When Dokan questioned,
Sanzo replied that Goku didn’t need his protection. Hurt and green-eyed, Dokan
strictly trained himself everyday in total solitude. When he returned to
Changnan Temple, he found out that Sanzo had gone to the West, taking along with
him, Goku, Hakkai & Gojyo. Maddened with overwhelming jealousy, Dokan
decided to find Sanzo. Using Koran’s blood, he dyed his hair red just like
Gojyo’s. He killed a thousand demons to become a demon just like Hakkai. Like
Goku, he too was with Sanzo during the days at Changnan Temple. Therefore, Sanzo
should choose him instead of the trio? Could they protect him forever?
Then, Dokan held out a grenade. Sanzo & Goku saw it and started to run.
Dokan pulled out the plug out and the entire building exploded. Soon, hundreds
of orange paper planes flew all over the area. Sanzo then recalled giving Dokan
an orange paper plane, saying that orange paper planes should be thrown in a
blue sky. He also remembered that he didn’t give Dokan the reason for it.
Meanwhile, Hakkai found Gojyo and the two proceed to join Sanzo & Goku.
Gojyo told Koran to escape while she still could.
After some fighting, Dokan insisted Sanzo to make him his sole follower.
Sanzo calmly refused, mentally upsetting Dokan. Hakkai & Gojyo attacked him
from behind, disabling him temporarily. Dokan recovered and showed a talisman
attached onto his heart. He then transformed into a burly-sized demon and
continuously whining that Sanzo should have chosen him. Sanzo quietly replied
that he didn’t choose them. It was the goddess of Mercy who wanted the four of
them to go the West. Therefore, it was by circumstances that they had to be
together. Confused, Dokan allowed the talisman to further transformed him into
an ugly demon. His stomach opened a vortex and everything was gradually sucking
into it. Dokan laughed bitterly at the thought of making Sanzo one with him.
However, Koran showed up and decided to sacrifice herself. Using the last of
her powers, she sealed the vortex. Grieved by her death, Gojyo thrashed up Dokan,
followed by Hakkai & Goku. Dokan wailed, begging Sanzo to tell him where did
he go wrong. Sanzo did not reply and shot Dokan dead. Recalling Dokan’s
question about the orange paper planes flying in the blue sky, Sanzo said he too
was looking for the answer.
The sun appeared and Sanzo-ikkou continued on to the West, unaware that
Kougaji & his gang were watching them from the hilltop. As the foursome
crossed over the bridge, Goku & Gojyo started their bickering. Due to their
constant body movement, the ropes of the bridge snapped, causing the four to
fall into the river. Extremely annoyed, Sanzo bashed Goku & Gojyo on the
head with his famous white paper fan.
*****