Disclaimer: Hiiii again, people! Just wanted to let you all know that I do not own Saiyuki in any way…. And it makes me very sad. ;;

A Second Chance, Daddy!

"Ha ha ha!"

"Throw it here, daddy!"

"Alright!"

Playing catch…

It was on a bright day, and the ball was shiny and red. Hakkai was wearing one of his nice dress shirts and light brown slacks. His glasses reflected the light from the warm summer sun as he passed the red ball to a small girl, dressed in a long blue shirt and poofy dark blue pants. She passed it right back, with strength not quite normal for a child so young, but she was Hakkai's baby, after all- tainted with the blood of 1000 demons, and part demon, herself. But still, the both of them were so happy…

"Here it comes, Koume! Catch!"

Hakkai rose the ball and let it fly. Making no sound whatsoever, it bounced on the dirt path and rolled… but it stopped just short of its target. Looking up from the ball, Hakkai found that Koume, his daughter, the little girl he always dreamed about was gone… replaced by the only Koume he had known- the young adult version. It was like a wonderful dream, and just as suddenly as one, it was gone, replaced by reality. This Koume merely tilted her head and looked down at the ball by her feet, and Hakkai almost felt like crying.

"Koume…. Please… wont you play with me, baby?"

--

Hakkai was suddenly ripped from his thoughts when someone bumped into him. Startled, he turned, ready to attack, but seeing the robes and shining blonde hair made him stop. It was only Sanzo. If he had come so close, it was probably to request protection against enemy attacks as he replaced his bullets, and it was protection that Hakkai was happy to supply.

"Spacing out in the middle of a fight is how you get dead, you know. Do you WANT to die?"

"Ah… no? Forgive me, I've been… distracted."

"Yeah, what else is new? You've been 'distracted' for a few days now. Will you just get over it, already?"

Sanzo finishes loading his gun and shoots some demons who wander into his line of sight, but he can't handle them all on his own. Hakkai groans and gathers his chi, blasting through a few more just ahead of him.

"Believe me, I'm trying…"

Hakkai starts thinking about Koume again, and searches the quickly-damaged area for her. After a moment he spots her, quite a ways away, fighting alongside Goku and Gojyo. She sure was able to hold her own in a fight, not wasting energy by running so much and jumping around unnecessarily, and using her size and agility to make up for her lesser strength. Although, compared to Goku, they all had a long way to go. What cut into the brunette, however, was the thought that she didn't need him. Not at all like a child…

Due to the combined efforts, the battle was soon over. However, the enemy had been getting smarter, and some of the demon's weapons were tipped with poison, and Goku was unfortunate enough to get cut with one of them. Luckily for him, though, Koume was there! She knelt by the demon and lengthened one of her own cuts, pouring a small amount of her blood into the wound. No one knew exactly why or how, but Koume's blood acted as a vaccine, destroying the effect of demonic poison. Of anyone, only Kougaiji, the one who ended up raising her, knew, but it sure came in useful, nonetheless.

Once he was treated, Goku was still a bit dizzy, but Gojyo was there to help him back into the jeep, and once again, the group was on their way West, leaving behind one heck of a mess. Ever single one of those demons had been slain without mercy, and fear was quickly spreading throughout the remaining ranks. That fear soon also made it all the way back to Hotou castle.

Gyukumen Koushu watched the battle play out and was absolutely enraged by its outcome. She grit her teeth and lifted the wine glass in her hand before throwing it far across the room. Doctor Nii had only an instant to step aside, les he be cut by the shattering shards. Of course, he pulled it off seemingly gracefully.

"Hmm… Oh my. Having a bad day?"

"Doctor Nii."

The demoness glared at her servent, hating him for smiling while she's in such a sour mood, like usual. He was always treading on thin ice, but it's not like she could just kill him. He wasn't COMPLETELY useless, after all.

"What seems to be bothering you, my lady?"

"Hmph." And she looked away.

"Could it be… the Sanzo party again?"

It was ALWAYS them causing her frustration, so it wasn't difficult for someone to guess, yet, it still brought her attention back to him.

"So you were watching again, also, hmm Nii?"

"Oh, yes… I was watching very closely!"

"GRRR… I can't stand it! We send demon after demon, and yet, every single one fails me!"

"Yes, it would seem none of them are capable of getting the scripture from Priest Sanzo, who kills them at long-range, Sha Gojyo kills both long and short range as Son Goku protects the priest. We can wound them, but Cho Hakkai heals them, and if we poison them, Koume cures them. It's a completely solid defense, if I do say so, myself."

Hearing this, the demon wonam threw another tantrum as the image of the Sanzo Ikkou stop by a river to set up camp.

--

It was quickly growing dark, and they were a few hours from the next town, but they all agreed that they were too tired to travel any further and they set about their tasks. Sanzo was prepping a fire pit, Goku ran off to collect firewood while Hakkai and Gojyo prepared the sleeping bags. While doing that, Hakkai randomly looked around for Koume, only to see her attempting to take the large yellow travel pack down from the jeep. It nearly weighed as much as she did, and seeing it tip towards her made Hakkai nervous. Dropping what he was doing, he dashed across the campsite to steady her and the bag from falling over.

"Koume!"

"Huh? …Ah! Thanks!"

"Koume, what are you doing, trying to lift this heavy thing?"

"I needed the kitchen equipment, since it's my night to make dinner, and it'll be dark real soon!"

"Yes, but… it's much too big for you. Why don't you let me take it from here?"

"Mm-mm. I got it now, but thank you!"

That's when Koume walked off on her own, unknowingly leaving Hakkai was a sorrowful expression. In his mind, he tried to rationalize things, but there was an empty spot in his heart, the spot where he was needed as a father. However, that spot was quickly forgotten as Koume set the pack down by the fire and ran back to hug him.

--

Seeing such joy and calm amongst her enemies made Gyukumen Koushu even more angry, and she glared at the image of the young girl she knew all too well.

"That damn brat… I can't believe she would betray me like this! When we found her, she was nothing but an unborn child! She took time and effort to revive her with the Seiten scripture and speed her aging, keeping her alive, and this is how she repays me?!"

"Well, perhaps the mutation to her genes was… faulty. We may have made her too-"

"YOU did this! Not me!"

The demoness pointed a bony, trembling finger at the scientist, trying, now, to convey her fury. Despite what anyone says, she was not responsible for such an unruly and disobedient child. If anyone, she thought, Kougaiji was a fault for not handling her properly.

"Yes, yes… however, my lady… What has been done has been done. And… perhaps we can Undo her."

"…Do whatever you please with your experiment, doctor. I just want it stopped!"

"Very well, then."