Holding his stomach, Sanzo scrambled out from under him, pressing himself against the wall. The distance between them wasn't much. It was better than being pinned.

The monk considered his options. It wasn't easy. Between the wounds and the contaminated blade, he could barely concentrate.

The world was swimming, in a way that Sanzo was pretty damn sure wasn't just due to blood loss. Takasugi's face was shifting, transforming before his eyes. Human one moment, then rippling features of youkai the next. The only thing that didn't change was that twisted smile. He'd seen the look on some of the more feral youkai before, the ones that wanted to eat his flesh to gain immortality. Whether he was alive or not when they started was a moot point.

Takasugi struck. The blade was aimed right for his chest. Sanzo didn't have the strength in him to get out of the way in time, but he tried anyway. Sanzo tried to duck to the side, and at the same time, bring his arm up to knock the blade away. It only partially worked. The blade didn't hit his chest.

Instead, it struck his shoulder. The knife sunk in, grated past bone, ripped through muscle and veins. The blade entered out the other side, and struck the wall, embedding itself there.

Sanzo couldn't speak. For a moment, he forgot how to breath.