damned_institute | Nightshift 35: The Coliseum

Obi-Wan went down heavily. From what he'd heard and seen of the Jedi, Sanzo had half expected him to be able to sense the attack before it happened. But it looked like the monk had been able to get the jump on him.

There was that split second, as Obi-Wan landed - hard - and a look of clear surprise was on his face.

Sanzo didn't hesitate; the Smith & Wesson was out in a flash, and he fired at Obi-Wan's chest.

He had allowed his anxiety for his former Master to cloud his senses, but now Obi-Wan's attention was focused solely on Sanzo. The Jedi already knew he was armed, and anticipated the attack before the man had even pulled the trigger. At that precise moment, he rolled out of the way, the bullet grazing the side of his robe. Luckily, he was uninjured.

"It's nice to see we're on the same side!" he said as he seamlessly got to his feet. He was on full alert now, but he wasn't going to lunge at the other patient just yet. "There's got to be a better way to handle this, Sanzo," he added before frowning. "How can you be sure Landel will honor his end of the bargain if you kill me?"

Instead of imbedding itself in the man's chest, the bullet ended up buried in the sand he'd just been thrown onto.

Those reflexes definitely weren't human. Even Homura couldn't dodge bullets, and Obi-Wan had done so, effortlessly; almost as if he'd somehow sensed when the monk as going to pull the trigger. Sanzo regarded the man with cool disinterest.

"I'm not on anyone's side but my own," Sanzo replied. "And unlike you, I'm not trying to delude myself that there's any other way out."

Doing so was only delaying the inevitable, stupidly putting the others at risk. The man was still blind to what was going on. Of course he'd try to stall.

He only had a limited amount of bullets before he'd have to pause to reload. If he could dodge at a certain distance, Sanzo would have to close it and then make the shot.

The monk closed the last few feet between them, a brutal kick swinging at his head.

]

Frown, yell! "Sanzo, stop being an idiot!" Not like Sanzo was being the only dense person around, and it wasn't like Goku had any room to talk. Still, from what he'd see? Sanzo was the one attacking. The thing where Obi-Wan dodged the bullet wasn't exactly making Goku feel any better about this ordeal either.

"You're doing exactly what he wants you to do!"

Obi-Wan ducked, narrowly avoiding Sanzo's foot by inches. He knew he couldn't allow himself to become disoriented by a blow to the head -- it could throw him off balance long enough for the other man to fire another bullet, and actually not miss.

At that same moment, he heard Goku's pleas, and he was glad he at least hadn't fallen for this game. Without wasting a second, the Jedi Knight leaped towards Sanzo, and with fluid precision, moved to grab the arm holding the gun. He had to disarm him.

If he was busy fighting for his life, then there would be little he could do for themselves, much less for Qui-Gon and the boy.

He'd almost nailed the Jedi that time.

Sanzo wasn't about to admit it to anyone, but deep down, there was the ugly hint of something that was almost foreign to the monk. It had reared its head when the Head Doctor explained those rules, and seeing their very-real results.

Pure fear. Fear for Goku.

He wasn't just doing this bullshit for himself, and now he had the monkey making things even more complicated. Of course he'd pipe up, especially when his input wasn't fucking needed. It was distracting him.

"Shut up, you goddamn ape..." Sanzo muttered to himself. Why the hell couldn't Goku just keep his mouth shut for once?!

Obi-Wan was fast, actually manage to grab his gun arm. Even if Sanzo didn't have a Jedi's reflexes, he'd fought enough to realize he was going to try and disarm him.

Sanzo reacted immediately, turning with the grab and driving his other elbow at Obi-wan's stomach.

Fear for his friend practically radiated from Sanzo, acting as the driving force behind his actions, fueling his desire for this fight. As long as he let those feelings guide his actions, then reasoning with him would be almost impossible. "Landel wants you to feel cornered, Sanzo!" Obi-Wan ground out between clenched teeth. And yet, he couldn't blame him. Qui-Gon's distress and pain was like a dull ache in the back of the Jedi Knight's mind, a hard reminder of what was at stake for him.

But then an elbow collided into Obi-Wan's gut, knocking the air out of him for a moment, and he began to fall back -- but he didn't relinquish his grip on Sanzo's arm, instead delivering a sweeping kick across the other man's legs in an attempt to bring him down into the dirt with him.

He hadn't forgotten the trusty weight of Qui-Gon's lightsaber at his side. It'd make this fight a lot faster, but he was determined to use it only as a last resort.

The monk twitched as Goku's voice went even louder. As if Goku thought that he hadn't been loud enough as it was.

The idiot just couldn't stay quiet. It was bad enough that he couldn't shut the dumbass out of his head, he had to compound that with yelling at him.

"I heard you the first time, idiot!" Sanzo shouted. "Shut the fuck up!" He didn't look back at the monkey - he didn't need to - and fired the gun back at kid, partially out of reflex. He wasn't expecting to hit him; there was that barrier in the way, but it would drive the message home. The monk didn't need his shit right now.

That moment of distraction cost him. Obi-Wan struck back, knocking his legs out from under him.

Sanzo fell heavily, twisting to the side midfall, pushing his free hand out to cushion the fall. He brought the gun swinging towards Obi-Wan, and with a loud crack, fired.

The sound from the first gun shot had just faded as they both collided against the dirt. He instinctively landed in a way that let him roll to the side once more, in an attempt to avoid the next anticipated shot. But he wasn't as fast this time; a sharp pain lanced through the side of his leg, and he sucked in a breath through his teeth.

Only grazed, thankfully, but it was a strong testament to Sanzo's resolve. He intended to kill him.

Drawing upon the Force once more, Obi-Wan blocked the pain and shifted his full attention back onto the other man. He was already back on his feet, which meant the Jedi needed to resort to a more aggressive strategy. Suddenly, he raised his hand and sent a burst of air hurling towards Sanzo in an attempt to knock him back.

Only a graze. He'd hit, but not with the success he'd hoped for. A graze wasn't going to slow Obi-Wan down, much less kill him. And he only had two more rounds before he had to reload. He'd just wasted one on Goku.

It figured.

He didn't know if they had guns like this back in their Republic, or even if Obi-Wan knew just how low he was on ammo. But even he had to recognize the motions of someone reloading. Sanzo didn't have Hakkai or Gojyo or Goku to keep opponents off his ass right now.

Sanzo started to get up. He had to keep in the Jedi's face; he couldn't let that blade come out--

Only he landed unceremoniously back on the sand, as something invisible suddenly knocked him off balance.

For a split second, Obi-Wan was reminded of when he was young, and had held out his hand to throw back an opponent, only to fail. With how long his abilities had been suppressed within Landel's, he'd almost expected to have a repeat of that, but it was refreshing to find his connection to the Force in tact after what had felt like years.

But there wasn't any time to waste. He'd make a final effort to end this peacefully.

His robe billowing behind him, Obi-Wan dashed towards where Sanzo had landed, his focus still trained carefully on him to hold him in place, if only for a short moment. The Jedi aimed a strategic kick towards his arm in an attempt to knock the weapon away from him; at the same time, Qui-Gon's lightsaber flared to life. The green blade hummed through the air, but stopped just inches from the other man's throat.

"This battle is over!" he shouted, clearly for Martin Landel. "Release the hostages, immediately!"

Sanzo glared at the humming blade at his throat, then up at Obi-Wan.

He couldn't fucking move. It was just like that time when Shuei had paralyzed him, except Obi-Wan had done so without any words or any delay. The monk strained to free himself, but he might as well have tried pulling steel apart.

Sanzo glanced as far back as he could, and caught the barest glimpse of the Smith & Wesson. Far behind him, a trail of sand leading up to it, and he couldn't reach it.

And then Obi-Wan spoke. Sanzo rolled his eyes in disgust. Did he honestly think that would work?

Whatever, he still had one last trump card: he only needed to make sure Obi-Wan didn't catch on to just what the chanting was for....

The Head Doctor, who had until now been silently enjoying the fight from his seat, clicked his tongue and narrowed his eyes in amusement.

"For a Jedi, you certainly are impatient, Mr. Kenobi." He arched an eyebrow. "Or is that your concern for your master showing through? Either way..." he shifted his weight, crossing his legs and steepling his fingers, "the battle is over when I say it's over, and from where I stand, it seems like it's only just begun."

He paused in his words and glanced at Sanzo. He smiled slightly before looking back to Obi-Wan. "All I can do right now is tell you that you would do well not to underestimate your opponent."

Obi-Wan wasn't surprised by the Head Doctor's response; it fit in with everything he'd learned about him up until this point -- cruel, manipulative, selfish. Not only that, but the tides were certainly in his favor. Landel was the puppet master, danging them on strings to move them in ways they never would have otherwise.

He couldn't let Qui-Gon or the boy die. Even as his peaceful alternatives crumbled around him, Obi-Wan could hear his former Master's uneven breathing, close and yet horribly far away. There was only one path before him now. Taking it didn't feel right to him, but there were no other choices left. The Jedi hesitated for a split second, not wanting to thrust the lightsaber into the other patient's throat, but debating the wisdom behind letting him get up.

Only a single moment was wasted, but it was something Obi-Wan would soon regret.

For all the Jedi and Landel knew, it could just be droning in the background.

"Kanjizai bosatsu gyou-jin han-nya ha... ...shoken go on kai ku do issai... ...soku setsu shu watsu..."

Obi-Wan's attention was on the wrong person.

Sanzo hadn't wasted any time; he'd begun a chant that was practically like a second skin to him by now. The priest's voice was low, only every other word audible as he murmured.

Each time was a little easier. He didn't have to close his eyes anymore to focus, or position his hands a certain way now. Calling forth the sutra had been difficult at first, but now it was a natural act, the surge of energy and heat no longer a surprise.

Sanzo welcomed it, even when it felt like the power behind it could burn him.

"...gya tei gya tei ha ra gya tei ha ra so gya tei... ...bodhi so wa ka hannya shingyo..."

The hairs on the back of Sanzo's neck were rising. The sutra was fluttering slightly on his shoulders.

He didn't know just how it would affect a Jedi: the sutra was best at vaporizing youkai, but either way, Obi-Wan was in for a surprise.

Sanzo's voice rose, with each word. Only a few more...

"...on ma ni hatsu mei-- un..."

The sutra went still, almost as if anticipating the final bit of the chant. The last two words, the ones needed to trigger the scripture came thundering out.

"MAKAI TENJYO!"

The sutra burst forth, a blast of invisible energy blazing from it. Like some living thing, tendrils upon tendrils exploded out from him, obscuring the monk for a moment in lines of ancient text and green borders before turning and whipping towards Obi-Wan.

It was too late by the time Obi-Wan detected the sudden shift in Sanzo's Force signature -- its strength had increased ten fold, and while Landel's was dark and empty and disquieting, the other patient was like the suns of Tatooine, so bright and hot that it was almost painful.

The Jedi was thrown back by the energy these tendrils of parchment gave off, lightsaber slipping from his hand and out of sight for a moment. But that wasn't even what startled him. As his back collided against the dirt, he realized that they were practically an extension of Sanzo himself; difficult to tell where one began and the other ended, obscuring the man from his senses completely.

His mind was yanked to the matter at hand when the tendrils wrapped tightly around his legs, searing into his clothes and skin on contact. Gritting his teeth, Obi-Wan struggled against the bonds as he scanned the area for the metal glint of the lightsaber. But the burns only grew worse, and he had to will himself to grab onto the Force as an anchor for his focus. And yet, Sanzo's expanding Force signature was so overbearing, it was hard just to find his center again.

Sanzo had shot to his feet the moment Obi-Wan's control faltered, and put some distance between himself and the Jedi. He didn't go for the gun immediately; he wasn't about to turn his back on the man without seeing if the scripture could hold him or not.

While the sutra hadn't outright vaporized him, it was definitely holding him down and doing some damage. Every few moments the scripture would pulse and move over Obi-Wan's body like a serpent, burning skin and cloth.

Not quite what he'd expected, but good enough.

Sanzo watched as the Jedi struggled against it. The sutra didn't give.

Satisified, he turned, and walked over to where the Smith & Wesson had flown from his hands. He didn't look at Goku or Qui-Gon or Callisto. This was between just himself and the Jedi. He couldn't let himself get further distracted, especially not by a monkey that was too stupid to see that this had to be done.

The gun weighed heavy in his hands as Sanzo began to walk back towards the Jedi, coolly reloading the weapon. Three more rounds, and he snapped the chamber back into place, looking down at Obi-Wan impassively.

Out of what fledgling respect he had for Qui-Gon, he'd at least make sure Obi-Wan had as quick and painless a death he could give him. It was the only mercy he could give.

Sanzo lifted the Smith & Wesson, barrel pointing straight at Obi-Wan's forehead.

His finger started to squeeze the trigger..

He'd expected Sanzo to return with his pistol -- it was ironic how they'd reversed positions within mere seconds. Even if Obi-Wan didn't agree with the principles behind this "game" of theirs, Martin Landel had been right about one thing: the other patient was not one to be underestimated in the least.

Obi-Wan stared up at the blond as he approached him and took aim -- amid the excruciatingly bright Force signature and behind that pistol was a solid, unwavering resolve. He was determined to be the winner of this fight, and the Jedi knew he wouldn't forfeit his own life so easily. In one ear, he could still hear Qui-Gon's uneven breathing -- that coupled with the distress and pain he could pick up on, it was obvious there was more than life at stake.

But despite the pain burning into his legs, Obi-Wan hadn't lost sight of what needed to be done. Suddenly, he raised a hand and sent a burst of air towards Sanzo, intending to knock him back.

There was a sharp bang as his finger jerked on the trigger, the shot going wild, right as he was hit hard in the chest by something invisible. The only thought he could manage was that it felt like he'd just been punched by a youkai, except he'd only seen the Jedi raise his hand--

Sanzo hit the ground roughly, sliding for several feet before he could recover. The monk managed to roll to his knees, and stagger to his feet. He grimaced, hand going to his side.

He hadn't heard the telltale crack from his ribs, but he'd fucking felt it. It wasn't going to take him down, but it wasn't going to make this any easier.

Sanzo didn't know what Obi-Wan'd done exactly. Whatever it was, it'd been enough though, to prolong his life a little longer.

The sutra had faded, returning to its place on his shoulders.

The bullet didn't strike Obi-Wan, likely hitting the barrier surrounding the arena. If there was one good thing about this situation, it was that onlookers were shielded from them, even if Landel had a frightening amount of power, and was more than willing to make good on his threats.

He exhaled as he felt the parchment disappear, and he abruptly pushed himself up to his feet. His legs were still burning, but there wasn't much he could do about that at the moment. Instead, he caught a glimpse of the glint from his lightsaber, lying a few feet away, and he reached out, calling it forward until it was securely in his hand once more. The green blade flared to life as he shrugged off his outer robe. The dark garment fell to the ground, revealing his lighter-colored tunic now.

Negotiations had failed, and there were no alternatives left. Obi-Wan knew what he had to do, not only to protect himself, but his former Master, the boy, and also his mission.

Eyebrows furrowing, he fluidly darted at Sanzo, lightsaber humming as he moved towards the other man. He needed to end this before he could use that strange power of his again.

Fuck, he'd been trying to stop that weapon from coming out, but it looked like Obi-Wan finally meant business. The glowing green blade came out with a snap-hiss.

He hadn't missed how the Jedi reacted to the sutra though. Obi-Wan almost flinched at it when the scripture exploded off his shoulders, and somehow Sanzo didn't think it was because of the mess of ancient text and green. That was disorienting enough for most of his opponents... but considering what he'd witnessed from Obi-Wan, that didn't seem like enough to stop him. Not if he could somehow sense Sanzo's presence and intent...

It was almost as if it somehow hurt to look at it.

And when the sutra had returned to him, that was definitely unconscious relief.

The monk allowed himself a small smirk. So it wasn't like the Jedi had a completely unbreakable defense.

Sanzo's mouth started to move, sutra fluttering on his shoulders.

As Obi-Wan ran forward, he heard Callisto shouting for them to go ahead and kill each other, but he disregarded her words. They weren't here to give a show -- they were doing this to save the people they cared about and themselves.

It seemed so selfish, and yet it was the only option left for them.

At that moment, Sanzo's parchment suddenly burst out, multiplying in volume. It shot out at the Jedi and shrouded its owner from view. He hissed as the tendrils seared against his skin -- not just on his legs this time, but across his torso, his arms, his back. And worst of all, he'd lost sight of his opponent amidst the endless scripture and the bright, expanding Force signature that seemed to be his own.

Instinctively, he brought his lightsaber down through a particularly troublesome piece of parchment that had caught on his leg -- but it merely passed through it as if it were made of smoke. Impossible! But that didn't stop him from trying to slash apart the tendrils that were in front him, and likely blocking him from the other man. They, too, were invincible.

Whatever it was, it could not be destroyed. The situation was only getting worse.

Sanzo had ducked out and to the side the moment the sutra exploded outwards, bringing himself away from Obi-Wan's dash towards him. All he could hear was the hum of the lightsaber, and the whip and snap as the sutra swirled all around around them in a storm.

The monk brought the gun up, stepping careful amid the flurry.

He might not be having nearly as hard a time as the Jedi; the sutra wasn't burning him, for one, instead just sliding harmless off his clothes and body.

...but that didn't mean he could see through the scriptures either. He had to locate Obi-Wan before the other man could get his bearings.

Spotting the lightsaber wasn't hard, and that was possible a spot of brown hair framed by the swirling sutra.

Sanzo took aim, the click the only hint at his location, and fired towards it.

The huge amounts of parchment might have made Obi-Wan blind to where Sanzo physically was, but that didn't mean he still didn't have the Force to guide him, or his other senses to cue him in on where his opponent was.

Click! -- It was instantaneous, but for him, it was enough to anticipate the next attack. At that moment, he cut his lightsaber through the air just in time to deflect the incoming bullet. But he didn't have time to react to the fragments of melted metal that shot from his blade and seared into the space between his neck and shoulder.

He heard himself give a hoarse cry before stumbling back. The white, hot pain, combined with the overwhelmingly powerful parchment, Qui-Gon's worsening injuries, and the ever-present void from Martin Landel were all beginning to stack against him.

But he could not give up. The Force was with him, as long as he remembered to use it as his anchor. Obi-Wan sharply inhaled as he took a split second to try to center himself as best as he could.

Nightshift 35: The Coliseum

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