"Really? Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Really, he could have shot him in the head, right then and there. "Spit it out. What do you know?" Sanzo went to shooting again, noting how tired the other man was getting.

"Well...these youkai seem to of a primitive species, their thinking capabilities closer to that of pack animals than of more reasoning creatures. But better to compare them to insects, their existences revolving around the life span of a single queen who reproduces an heir once in a generation. The rest are simply pawns...their energies feeding off hers. And so therefore..."

"We have to kill the queen bee, am I correct?" interjected Sanzo, his patience wearing very very thin.

"You are correct."

"So which one is she?" Sanzo scanned the sky, but it had already gotten dark and all he could discern was the cloud of buzzing youkai...then there...a little ways off was a single youkai hovering in the air emitting a pulsating light from the chest. With the wings of a butterfly, she hovered, her eyes closed in meditation and her mouth moving in an instinctive battle chant- the words of resurrection. Sanzo narrowed his eyes and aimed.

"I'll kill the bitch."

Bang.

But it hit one of her pawns instead. Another shot. Another pawn. "Fuck." With each bullet, a youkai appeared to block. It was a living shield, easily replaced. "Are you just going to stand there!? Fight like the rest of your kin..." Sanzo taunted. "Or are you so stupid of a beast that you can't even do that?"

That got her attention. "Uh...Sanzo..."

"What?"

"Perhaps you should have chosen a more...how shall I say...tactful way to go about the situation." Tenpou pressed closer. The youkai had stopped in mid-flight and were simply hovering there...hollow ice blue eyes that stared into nothing...limbs that hung limply...like forgotten puppets...