Gaiden Ch 18

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F/X wind blowing cherry blossoms through window
Goujun narration: What I shall relate hereafter is something doubtless I alone now know -- the entire story of the road they followed. The truth which will be spoken forth is this...

(page)
(Gokuu under cherry blossoms)

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Saiyuuki Gaiden
So beautiful and yet so cruel

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Gokuu: Konzen?
Gokuu: (thinks) Nobody. There's nobody here.
Gokuu: Ken-nii... Ten-chan?
Gokuu: (thinks) I don't like it.
Gokuu: *Konzen!!*
Gokuu (thinks) I'm afraid
Nataku: Gokuu. I'm here, Gokuu. Let's go together.
Gokuu: Nataku...!!

(page)
F/X storm of cherry blossoms falls between Gokuu and Nataku
(Nataku falls in a spray of blood)
Nataku: Go. Kuu.

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F/X blood-spattered Gokuu becomes Seiten Taisei amid a pile of bodies
STSG (in present): (gasping breath)

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STSG: (breathing heavily in his coma)
Konzen: Gokuu...
STSG: (gasping and sweating)
Konzen: Tenpou, can't you *do* something? His fever's gone up. He can't go on like this...
Tenpou: Yes yes, I know. That's why I've been doing this all this time- going all through the literature of East and West, past and present, one book after another. I'm afraid that the power of the Seiten Taisei, now that it's out of control, has overwhelmed Gokuu's physical strength. Somehow we must undo the transformation, but I can't find a way to.

(page)
Kenren: Yo. I've boarded up all the entrances to the building for the time being
Tenpou: Thanks for the trouble
Kenren: It's just to make us feel better, of course. Gokuu hasn't woken up yet?
Konzen: ...mmhh...
Tenpou: Mh.
Tenpou: Suppose we try this next? "Boil the lifeblood of a goat and introduce it directly into the stomach..."
Book title: Black Magic for Fun
Kenren: You trying to *kill* him?
Goujun: Fools.

(page)
Goujun: You really think you can escape after what you've done? You've made all of Heaven your enemy.
Goujun narration: The rebels- Marshal Tenpou. General Kenren. Konzen Douji. All three of these had protected Seiten Taisei Son Gokuu, who was the cause of everything, and fled with him from the imperial palace

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Goujun narration: They took me hostage, the dragon king of the western ocean, and occupied the south-west building which was also the location of Marshal Tenpou's lodgings. They brought all the people in the building together in one place and naturally made them hostages as well. The siege had lasted one night so far. Over two thousand soldiers of the Imperial Army had surrounded the building, awaiting an opportunity to storm it.
Tenpou: Oh, we're thorough-going terrorists.
Kenren: (laughing) You got it
Goujun: There's nothing to laugh about! (J note: Goujun uses the particle wa as an emphasizer. Wa is a female emphasizer except in the Kantou (western region of Japan) where it's used by men as well. Since Goujun is king of the *western* ocean, I suppose this makes sense, since otherwise the only men I know of who use 'wa' are okama...)

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Goujun: What do you think you're going to do now?
Tenpou: Ohh I'm sure things will work out somehow
Goujun narration: I realized he didn't mean that. They weren't gung-ho witless soldiers. With only four men- no, with effectively only two who could fight at all- it must have already been clear to them that there was nothing left except suicide. But at that time I wasn't capable of understanding that fact.
Soldier 1: Hmph- always thought Tenpou and Kenren were weird
Soldier 2: Looks like they were just a pair of sulky idiots
Soldier 1: (laughing) Too right. With the numbers we've got here, we won't even need the eastern army

(page)
Soldier 1: Yeah but, if it comes to that, who's leading us?
Litouten's guard: Please don't do this- you mustn't, Litouten-sama. You have to rest--
F/X Litouten strikes guard
Litouten: *Shut up!!* Listen, all of you! I'm replacing the dragon king Goujun of the western army. From now on Litouten is the one who's giving you your orders!!
Sidebar: and so the curtain opens on a hopeless battle...