She dreamed again that night. She dreamed of a woman with long brown hair and golden eyes that would sing softly and rock her back and forth. She never felt safer than when she was in the smiling presence of this woman. A lullaby with a hauntingly poignant melody looped subtly throughout the vision.

She was in a field of grass ringed with trees. She looked around and crawled through the green sea only to be swooped up in someone's arms and tossed high in the air to be caught by that smiling woman's hands. She giggled and cooed as the woman nuzzled their noses together, laughing…

Ty smiled in her sleep and stretched languidly, then grimaced as reality and the mother of all hangovers crashed into her cranium. "Owww….gods!" she hissed in pain. She looked over to see Gojyo stretched out beside her and they were both on top of the covers. Oh yeah, Gojyo and her had drank half the bar out last night…ugh…this morning. She blinked blearily at the clock, shit! It was six-o'clock…the guys wanted to leave at dawn; they had to move before…

"HEY WATER SPRITE! TIME TO WAKE THE HELL UP! AW SHIT, TY'S IN HERE!" Goku stopped in mid-step into the room he had so rudely entered.

A low growl came from the mop of mussed hair on the pillow, "How many times do I have to tell you, stupid monkey, knock on the fucking door first!" Gojyo hissed while holding his head as he slowly sat up.

Goku was looking from Ty to Gojyo and began to ramble. "Well, Sanzo told me to get you up and that he was complaining that Ty wasn't up yet, but there wasn't a room registered under her name…but now we know she was here, and he told me to yell as loud as I could to get you up…"

"Monkey. Quit. Talking. Now." Gojyo stood up and stretched. "Go tell His Majesty we are up and ready to go. Now leave, runt."

Goku glared at the kappa, "Fine! You don't have to be so mean about it, you dirty cockroach!" He spun on his heels and left.

"Ahh…a moment's peace, now to the matter at hand, aspirin…where's my fucking aspirin?"

"That wasn't very nice of you, treating him like Sanzo would. And why is it I've woken up every morning next to you with a hangover since I met you?" She asked, and realized it had only been a couple days since she met the four men. She chastised herself, talk about being impulsive! However, since her friends were now turning their backs on her, who else did she have? "Mom and Dad sure won't understand…" She murmured.

Gojyo looked up from rummaging in his bag at that comment. "The runt only responds to Sanzo-phrased commands, and that's not the point. You and your parents, are you guys close?" He asked softly.

"Umm, well yeah, for the most part," She got up to gather her things and headed towards the bathroom. "I never really connected with them though. Something always held me back."

Gojyo's eyes furrowed, "What do you mean, connected?" Unbidden images from his own dysfunctional childhood surfaced to the forefront of his mind.

Ty looked out the window, "They are not my biological parents. They adopted me from a village east of here. They told me the name…I can't remember off the top of my head. Santo? No, Senka? That's not it either. Oh well. I'll think of it later. All I meant by that comment was I never felt like I was one of them." She looked down at her clawed hand which held a lock of her red hair in it. "Now I am beginning to know why." She shut the door softly behind her with a click, and Gojyo just stared at the closed door in thought.

Soon enough, however, they were packed up and on the road. Things were going relatively well, though Gojyo was still concerned over Ty's quiet demeanor. It could be she was fighting off the hangover from the night before, but between the two of them, they finished off that emergency bottle of aspirin he'd stashed for just such an occasion. So he couldn't chalk up her silence to the Altar of the Hangover just yet. He was sure that whatever that something that was bothering her yesterday was carrying over into today.

Ty was thinking fondly of her super-duty pickup sitting in storage, her cozy apartment, and even her roommate, Alana. All the facets of her life as she knew it, she had to say goodbye to. Even going out for fifty-cent tap night with her friends at Southgate Tavern on Wednesday nights was now a thing of the past. She resisted the urge to look behind her as her life as she knew it faded into the distance; she turned her head instead to look to her future on the horizon. Silently she squared her shoulders and glared in the face of uncertainty. Well, glare as much as one could when she was flanked by two bickering demons.

"You damn cockroach! QUIT HITTING ME!" Goku yelled.

"I'm tellin ya—it wasn't me—it was Ty!" Gojyo sniggered.

"Like hell! Ty wouldn't do that! Would you?" Goku cast wide golden eyes up at her.

She sighed and crossed her arms in front of her. "Of course not. Now Gojyo, quit acting like an ass!"

"I'm not acting like an ass!" Gojyo whined.

"Yes. You. Are." Sanzo backed Ty up, to which she blinked, wide eyed.

"Well I wouldn't have to act like that if the monkey wouldn't egg me on!"

"Egg YOU on? That's it water sprite! Let's go!"

"Oh yeah, shithead? You ready to get your ass handed to ya?"

"Blow me, kappa, you couldn't do that in your dreams!"

"Why you little—"

Ty swiped irritably at her hair that was whipping around her head. "For fuck's sake, SHUT THE HELL UP!" She shouted over the two who were now standing over her glaring sparks at each other.

The two stopped, turned their gazes to Ty who glared at them balefully.

Goku was the first to relent and fold himself back into the seat. "Sorry Ty." He mumbled, somewhat unhappily.

Gojyo in turn continued to stand. "You are going to tell me what to do, woman?" There was a challenge glinting in his eyes and a roguish grin playing at his lips.

Ty's eyes narrowed. Did he seriously think that would improve her mood? She shrugged. "Have it your way." She used his precarious center of gravity on the moving vehicle and grabbed his legs and threw Gojyo over her shoulder…and…off…the jeep.

"Goddamnit, now we have to double back and pick the bastard up!" Sanzo growled.

"Just leave him there." Ty mentioned caustically.

Goku looked to Ty at that one. Hakkai even glanced back in concern. Something was bugging her and the fact that she was emulating Sanzo and his brusqueness was a big indicator. He didn't say anything at the moment, just merely stopped the jeep so Gojyo could catch up.

Sanzo sighed. Why did the woman do that? Now they would hear nothing but the damn kappa's bitching about how mistreated he was. Gods. He rubbed at his temple where yet another migraine was starting to take root. Fucking wonderful.

To Sanzo's surprise, Gojyo said not one word. He climbed into the back seat and stared out sullenly.

Hakkai continued to drive, but occasionally flicked a concerned gaze to the now silent back seat. Perhaps he should have a chat with their new passenger. He admitted that he hadn't said much at all to her. It was eerie, she reminded him of Gojyo and that was with her coloring aside. She possessed such bravado, when anyone who was looking closely enough could see the softy under the hard shell.

"About fucking time we get some peace and quiet." Sanzo fished out the last cigarette in the pack and crushed the box.

"Fuck off, monk." Gojyo spat back.

"Don't give them any ideas, Sanzo, I've just been enjoying the quiet!" Hakkai laughed, but continued to ponder in his head.

She also had Sanzo's temper and coldness at times, which was frightening. Two Sanzos in one jeep! But all mirth aside, there was something else about her demonic aura. Something unusual and strangely familiar, yet he couldn't place it right now. All he knew was because of that peculiarity she was with them. It had to be something significant enough to have Sanzo bring her along, and he knew his friend wouldn't stop until he found out why Kougaiji wanted her so badly.

It was getting dusky when they decided to stop for the night. Each of the guys had their chores. Goku went to find firewood, Gojyo was fighting and cussing with the tent, Hakkai was preparing dinner and Sanzo was-well-supervising. Ty looked around uselessly, "What can I do?" She asked no one in particular.

Hakkai looked up, "If you wouldn't mind, Miss Livingston, would you fetch some water?" He smiled gently.

"Uh. Okay. And Hakkai, its Ty." She looked around for the pail, spotted it and went in search for the stream.

She wandered through the woods deep in thought. It's funny how she had ended up here. Part of her was disappointed that all her schooling had been for naught. Oh, she knew she could finish up at any time, but it would be harder to go back once she was out of the routine.

Another part of her was glad she was free from that place. Seeing new things, people and places. She had never really fit in there. Sure it was college, and there are many different people there, but she always felt like she was on the outside looking in. Much like home, she thought. At home she was always the odd one out and didn't really feel close to any of her family. Her parents were fine, but the thought that lingered in the back of her mind always reminded her that they were not her parents.

"Ugh…whatever. Who knows, maybe I'll never go back there." She muttered irritably.

"Do you always talk to yourself?" A voice asked.

Ty jumped in alarm and snapped her head up to look around. "Who—oh, it's you, Goku." She silently breathed a sigh of relief.

"Who else would it be? A grizzly?" Goku laughed, then sobered. "I was makin enough noise for you to hear me. You musta been thinkin pretty hard." He came up to her with an armful of wood.

"Yeah, I guess I was." They were at the small stream and Ty dipped her bucket in and sampled the crisp clear water herself.

"So, what were you thinkin about?" He sat down next to her on a large rock.

"I dunno, a lot of things; work, school, my family, this trip and why I am even on it." She stared up at the deepening twilight.

"Oh." Goku was strangely quiet.

Ty glanced down and saw his somber look. She decided to take a page from Gojyo's book, "Yo mon-"

"I am NOT a mon-" he interrupted.

"Sorry 'bout yellin at you earlier. I had a fierce headache."

"—key! Oh. That? That's all right. Sanzo yells at us to be quiet all the time an' it doesn't bother me. I mean, its his way of showin he cares, even though he doesn't want us to realize it, y'know?" Goku smiled gently. "But having headaches is no fun. You should really talk to 'Kai on that. Why did you have a headache, anyway?"

"It's because everything is so loud!" Ty sighed.

Goku blinked. "Loud? What's loud?"

Ty spread her hands wide, "Everything! The crickets, frogs, trees, even our voices seem louder than usual, and I know I'm not raising the volume of mine."

"Trees?" Goku muttered, thinking. His eyes brightened "Ohh, I get it now! You said you haven't been like this your whole life?" He gestured to her hair.

"No, this just recently happened a few days ago, why?" She looked at him quizzically.

"Well, you're half demon now, right? Well that means you have some demon traits now." He smiled.

"De—mon traits?" She still wasn't getting it.

"Shit, you're as slow as the kappa sometimes!" Goku laughed, then apologetically waved his hands in front of him, "I'm joking, okay! What I am trying to say is that I think the reason everything is so loud is because you're hearing more stuff!"

Ty blinked.

Goku laughed. "Wow, you're really not getting it! Well, 'Kai can explain everything better than me, but here's how it works. Humans can't hear, smell, see, things as well as a demon –well Sanzo can do most of those things, but I dunno why, but anyway now that you're part demon you should be able to hear an' see an' smell better than you did as just a human!" Goku leaned back, proud with his explanation.

Ty let it sink in. "Okay, I think I get it. So how do we test this theory?"

Goku bit his lip in thought, "Umm…well…" He sniffed then grinned. "Well, tell me, what do you smell right now?"

Ty sniffed the air, "I smell the water in the stream, grass, the campfire, and food?" She looked to Goku for clarification.

"K, that's a good start, but what kinda food? What else?"

"Umm…smells like the beginnings of beef stew? I smell some other stuff too—but I don't know—wait—cigarettes and beer? But the camp is too far away for me to smell that…"

"As a human, yeah, but you're catchin on as a demon. Yep, Hakkai's makin stew an Gojyo and Sanzo are smoking and drinking and can you smell them as well?"

"Them?"

Goku smacked his forehead, "Them! Everyone has a distinct smell. Now see if you can smell them!"

She scented the air as a hound would. "I smell—ah hell—all I smell are the cigs and beer and that's it." She slumped her shoulders in defeat.

Goku came up to lay a hand on her shoulder, "Hey it's okay. You did good for your first try."

Ty looked up at him, "Thanks, Goku."

Goku just laughed, "You worry too much! That was nothing, like I said Hakkai can teach you better than I can. But there is something you should do." He sobered as he plopped next you her.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" She asked.

"You should talk to Gojyo—appologize for throwing him off the jeep." He looked into the trees. "I mean, do what you want, but I can tell he's upset. He gets quiet and pulls away from everyone."

Ty sighed, "I was going to do that anyway, Goku, but your earnest plea sealed it. I will go talk to him, however I should get this water back to Hakkai."

"That's okay, I have the firewood back over here. I'm sure the kindling they're using is getting low. So I'll walk back with ya."