Disclaimer: If I owned Saiyuki I wouldn't be posting fanfics about it on a website like this, now would I? Saiyuki belongs to Minekura Kazuya and I am uber jealous of her beautiful mind.

A/N: It's a sister story. Read Masculine Reflection by TheInkDragonRosette.

Chapter four is longer and more angsty... Just a nibble for now, more angst later. I will post chapter 5 on Thursday. But who's to say when more updates will be. Maybe Saturday... maybe not...

Hakkai stared at the fruit stand in front of him holding his hand to his chin and considering the following: 'Bananas or peaches. Oh, but they have a bargain on apples, everyone should be good with apples.' He paused a moment, thinking back over the conversation he'd just had in his head. 'Ah, shit, I'm turning into a housewife. I should have forced someone to come with me. When I shop alone I start enjoying it.'

Hakkai shook his head and reached out for the apples. His hand brushed up against another's and he drew his hand back, as did the other person.

""Oh, excuse me,"" they said in unison.

The sudden movement must of thrown off the balance of the overstuffed paper bags that the woman was carefully juggling in her arms. Hakkai couldn't help but watch as her groceries fell on the ground.

"Oh dear," she said as she kneeled down, quickly trying to collect it all before it got stepped on.

Hakkai was on the ground helping her before he could think twice about it. "Are you okay, miss?" He looked up at her, his hands gathering things without need of him watching them.

"Oh, yes, just fine. These needed to be washed anyway," she said, gathering the last of what was in front of her and putting it in the bag.

Hakkai handed her what he had and stood up. Collecting his own purchases in his arms, he reached down to her. "Need a hand?"

"Thank you."

Hakkai was relieved when she took his hand, no hard feelings he hoped. The moment their hands touched, for the second time, he felt her demonic presence. She was a demon. But, at the same time, she didn't seem to be an assassin. She almost seemed shy when she took his hand.

When she stood up she readjusted her glasses. She appeared rather charming. She was dressed in a dark green sleeveless chinese top that seemed to fit her petite frame. She wasn't short, but the way she held herself suddenly gave Hakkai the impression. She was wearing tan leggings and a pink sash fastened around her waist. Hakkai wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume that she was just a normal demon woman trying to get by, but he had met quite a few girls that had seemed innocent and harmless on the surface when he first met them to only find himself at the end of their spears later. 'Besides,' he mused, 'she had quite the grip.'

"No problem. I'm sorry that I startled you. It's the least I could do to help. Uh.." Hakkai wondered how to proceed. He needed to find out if she was indeed someone hired to eliminate him or not.

"Hachiko," she said softly

"Hm, what was that?" Hakkai asked a little puzzled. He watched as her cheeks flushed and she looked away.

"My name, it's Hachiko," she explained looking back up at him.

"Oh!" 'Shit, I screwed up.' "I'm sorry about that." Hakkai shifted his shopping bag from his right to his left and held out his hand to shake. "My name is Hakkai. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, no, it's my fault, I shouldn't have assumed you were looking for a name. But it's nice to meet you too," she said, managing to balance a bag on her hip and shake his hand.

"Excuse me," Hakkai abruptly turned his attention back to the stall. "You gonna buy anything?" The fruit dealer leaned over his merchandise, an eyebrow raised and he watched the two people blocking the front of his stall.

"Yeah," Hakkai smiled, instantly ignoring the rude tone in the man's voice. "I would like five apples if you don't mind." 'One for everyone and one to use as an incentive later to get Goku to help me.' The man behind the stall bagged the apples and handed the bag to Hakkai, who handed him the money he had in his pocket. 'No sense in flashing the gold card for a small purchase like this'

He turned back to the young woman and smiled. "Do you need anything?"

"Oh! Yes. Could I get a dozen?" she asked, pulling some money out of a pocket. She took the apples and hung the bag from her wrist. "Well, thank you for all your help," She said pleasantly to Hakkai. "Hope you have a nice day."

She stepped around Hakkai and started walking away. Hakkai watched her for a bit still a little wary of her. He adjusted the bags in his arms. He figured he had to be heading back soon. It was almost noon and that meant lunch. He realized that the Dual Lily was in the same direction that the woman-Hachiko was it?-was going. He jogged a few paces and caught up with her.

"I hope I'm not being a bother, but the inn that I'm staying at is in this direction. Would you mind if I walked with you for a bit?"

She glanced over at him and smiled. "Of course not." It was quiet for a moment before she looked over at him again and asked, "Wait, are you talking about the Dual Lily?"

"Yeah," Hakkai smiled at her. "You're familiar with it?"

Hachiko laughed lightly. "I suppose. I happen to be staying there as well."

"Really," he mused, wondering if he should be suspicious of this. "What a coincidence..." '..probably.' "You're traveling? Where are you heading?"

"Funny that you ask that. Truth is, I've kind of been dragged along for the ride. I'm not entirely sure, my friend hasn't told me just where we're going," she said. "I suppose that seems really foolish, huh?"

Hakkia thought of what he'd been through so far on their extreme journey to the west and shook his head. "No, I think I can understand. Sometimes I wonder if I really know what I volunteered for when we started this road trip," he said looking off for a moment, before turning back to her with a smile more sincere than usual.

She looked away for a while. "I hope you don't have as many sorrows as I do," she murmured quietly.

Hakkai's smile slipped away a little. That had almost sounded like some kind of confession. Like she had regrets about something. Hakkai hoped whatever it was that was weighing on her heart, he wouldn't have to pry any deeper. It hurt him when he had to fight people that he knew and even worse when those people didn't want to fight him or his companions either.

"I don't know if that is at all possible." Hakkai doubted that anyone could have as many 'sorrows' as she had put it as he did. He hoped that whatever had made her think to say that would eventually fade. She seemed like a nice person, demon or not.

They arrived in front of the inn not a minute later. Hakkai held the door open for her. Just inside he noticed that they had put up the lunch menu. It wouldn't be too long until Gojyo and Goku wandered back. As the two them headed to the up there stairs, there was a large crash and a girl screamed. Hakkai's flinched, wondering if it was an attack, but Hachiko sighed.

"That sounds like my friends. I really should go stop them. It was nice meeting you," she said, hurrying up the stairs.

"Uh, nice to meet you too," Hakkai said as she ran up the stairs and rounded the corner. He stood in the stairway for a moment staring after her. 'It is amusing how many rambunctious people there are in the world,' he thought to himself.

A/N: Boooo... No translations today...