Disclaimer: Hey guys! Don't own anybody in Saiyuki!

Author's note: Hi! Thank you for everyone who reviewed! Especially Princess of the Shadowland and Gundamkiwi! Thanks for correcting my mistakes, Gundamkiwi! I owe ya! Oh, and Sapphire-Amethyst as well! Thanks so much for reviewing!

Chapter 13: Just a kid

The green jeep drove through the hot desert on a sunny day. And as usual, Goku and Gojyo were fighting to keep themselves busy again. "Take it back!" Goku said. "No way. You take it back!" Gojyo said. "I said… take back what you said about me being a dried-out monkey, you dried-out kappa!" Goku yelled. "No freakin' way! Not until you take back what you said earlier!" Gojyo yelled back. They were immediately stopped by Sanzo, who had his gun pointed at both of them. "Do you guys have a death wish?" Sanzo asked irritably. 'W-we'll stop." Gojyo and Goku said, sitting down once more. "It's so hot… hey, Hakkai, how far is the next town?" Goku asked. "Just a little more farther, Goku." Hakkai said with a smile on his face. "I am so hungry! Hey Sanzo, when we get to the next town, will you buy me a meat bun?" Goku asked. "Stop complaining and shut up! Death seems preferable to you more and more each second." Sanzo said, hitting Goku on the head with his fan. "Okay, okay! I'll stop!" Goku said. "Hey Shiey, why don't we--." Goku stopped when he saw Shiey asleep. "Oh man, I'm so bored…" Goku said as he looked in Gojyo's direction. "I'm hungry…" he remarked. "Shut up, stupid monkey!" Gojyo said, hitting Goku on the head. "You should be the one to shut up, stupid pervy kappa!" Goku yelled. "Oh yeah? Okay then, Hakkai, stop the jeep! I'm taking this monkey out!" Gojyo said. "Fine! You want some of this? You can have as much as you want!" Goku argued. And so, they started fighting again until Sanzo stopped them once again with a gunshot. "SHUT UP!" Sanzo yelled, firing his gun in the air.

They arrived at the nearest town before sunset. And since none of them has eaten lunch yet, they decided to go eat. "Ah, at last! FOOD!" Goku shouted. And so, they started eating, and after they did, they decided to stay at an inn until the next day. "Sanzo, I'm still hungry." Goku remarked. "We just ate, you stupid monkey." Gojyo said. "Yeah, but I'm hungry again." Goku said. "So far, we haven't been attacked by any assasins from Kougaiji's or Homura's side." Hakkai said. "Yeah, it's unusual." Gojyo said. "Maybe they decided to give us a break." Goku said. "Yeah, right." Gojyo said. Then, they all looked at Shiey. "Shiey, are you okay?" Hakkai asked. Shiey scrambled out of her thoughts and replied, "Uhm, yeah. I'm okay." Shiey replied, looking out the window once more. "We haven't heard you say anything until this morning." Gojyo said. But Gojyo's remark fell on deaf ears. Shiey didn't reply, or maybe… she chose not to.

She stood up from her bed and walked towards the door. "I'll be out for a while. You guys can eat dinner ahead of me." Shiey said, closing the door behind her. "She doesn't seem fine to me." Gojyo said. Sanzo managed to look up from the paper he was reading and said, "Leave her alone. She might just be thinking about something. Don't poke your nose into other people's business." He said as he started reading again. But although he said that… he, like the others, was also wondering why Shiey was acting that way. "Sanzo does have a point." Gojyo said. "Yeah." Goku replied. Then, they turned to Hakkai. "Hakkai?" Goku asked. "I'm sorry, Goku. I'll be back in a little while." Hakkai said, getting up to leave.

Shiey was walking through town. She didn't want to tell the others why she was acting this way. She didn't know why… but she felt like she's been to this place before. She walked and walked, but didn't know where she was going. Finally, she saw a bar and decided to stay there for a while. Meanwhile, Hakkai was looking for her. "Shiey… where did you go?" Hakkai thought. Just then, he entered a bar, and saw Shiey sitting on one of the chairs. He smiled and walked towards her. Then, he took a seat beside her. "Mind if I join you?" Hakkai asked. Shiey looked at him and smiled, "Sure." "So, are you sure nothing's bothering you, Shiey?" Hakkai asked. Shiey lowered her head, "To tell you the truth… something's been on my mind, and it's been troubling me ever since we got to this town." Shiey said. "What is it?" Hakkai asked. "I don't really know what it is, but I think I've been here before. This place seems so familiar to me." Shiey said. "I see." Hakkai said. "Why don't we go back to the inn?" Hakkai asked, a smile on his face. Shiey placed her hand on his and replied, "You can go ahead. I promise I'll be back by dinner time." Shiey said. "Okay." Hakkai said as he stood up to leave. "See you." Shiey replied as she continued thinking.

"So how was it?" Gojyo asked. "It's nothing to make a big deal of. Shiey says that she feels like she's been to this place before." Hakkai said. "Oh…" Goku said. "She'll be back by the time dinner starts." Hakkai said. "Okay then." Gojyo said. Sanzo couldn't help but listen to their conversation. "She feels like she's been to this place before, huh? I think I know why…" Sanzo thought.

After a while, Shiey decided to go back to the inn. As she was walking, she kept on thinking about that town. She kept asking herself why this place seemed so familiar. Her thoughts were interrupted when a girl, about ten, bumped into her. "I'm sorry." The girl said. "Don't worry about it." Shiey replied. Just then, the girl started crying. Shiey was surprised and she knelt down beside her. "What's the matter?" Shiey asked. "N-nothing. It's just that… you look so much like my mother." The girl said, wiping the tears from her eyes. Shiey's eyes widened in surprise. "Where's your mother?" Shiey asked. "I don't know. I'm trying everywhere to look for her, but I can't find her." The girl said. The girl had scarlet red hair, which was tied neatly into two braids, and scarlet red eyes as well. From Shiey's point of view, this girl was a taboo. But nonetheless, she was cute and she needed help. Shiey smiled at the girl and said, "What's your name?" The girl was surprised by the question. "I-I'm Dani." She said. "My name's Shiey. What do you say if I help you look for your mother?" Shiey offered. Dani beamed in happiness. "I'd like that very much." Dani replied with a smile. "Well, we better get a move on before the sun sets." Shiey said as she took Dani by the hand and they started looking.

Konran tower…

"Are you really sure this is going to work?" Zenon asked. "Yes, the goal is to break Shiey down, Zenon. And I'm pretty sure our little plan… not to mention our little apprentice, will be just the right thing for the job." Homura said with a sly grin.

"So, how did you lose your mom, Dani?" Shiey asked as they were walking. "A few months back, my mom got divorced from my dad and remarried. The man wanted my mother and only my mother alone. So, one day, when I was asleep, my stepfather took me to the woods in the outskirts of town and left me there. When I woke up and found myself there, I was scared at first, but after a while, I figured that I should go find my mother. And since then, I've been looking for her. Not to mention, life's been pretty hard on me. I can't get anything to eat because people think I'm bad luck and send me away." Dani said. Shiey was shocked when she heard Dani's story. It was so much like hers, and, like Dani, life's been pretty hard on her as well. She looked at Dani with pity, but there was one thing that was different between her and Dani. Dani had the courage to go and find her mom. The courage to start over. The courage… the courage that she didn't have. And because of this, Shiey was more determined to help Dani find her mother. "Okay Dani, what does your mom look like?" Shiey asked. "She has blonde hair, brown eyes and she stands just as tall as you." Dani remarked. "Okay, let's go find your mom." Shiey said as they started searching for Dani's mom.

Sunset came, and Shiey wasn't back yet. "Sanzo, I'm starting to worry." Hakkai said. "Shiey's not back yet. Should we go and look for her?" Goku asked. "Tch, fine. Do whatever you want." Sanzo said. "Aren't you coming?" Gojyo asked. "Stupid fool, who's going to be here in case Shiey comes back?" Sanzo asked. "Ease up, man. I was just asking." Gojyo said as he joined Hakkai and Goku to go and look for Shiey.

"It's almost dark, Dani. Do you want to get something to eat first before we continue?" Shiey asked. "Okay." Dani said, smiling at Shiey. And so, they went to a restaurant and started eating. "Are you sure it's okay for you to be doing this? I might be bothering you." Dani said. "It's okay. I'm sure my friends won't mind." Shiey said. "Thank you so much." Dani said. "What?" Shiey asked. "You should be thanking me later. We haven't found your mom yet." Shiey said. "Yes, I know. But, thank you for helping me look for her." Dani said. "Don't mention it." Shiey said. "You know, Dani, when I was a kid, I was just like you. My mother remarried another man and that man hated my brother and I a lot so he got rid of us. He dumped me in a forest as well. But, you know how you're different form me?" Shiey said. "How?" Dani asked. "I didn't have the courage to go and look for my mom. I admire your courage." Shiey said. Dani' eyes widened in shock and replied, "Thank you."

After eating, Shiey and Dani resumed their search. Dani and Shiey walked towards a part of town that wasn't so crowded. There were some houses and a huge meadow was not far. "You think we can find your mom here, Dani?" Shiey asked as she looked at Dani. "Maybe. This was where I used to live." Dani said. Shiey observed her surroundings well. And after which, her eyes widened in surprise. She was right all along. She knew this village… She used to live here before with her mom and Kouryuu when she was still a kid. "What's wrong, Shiey?" Dani asked. Shiey snapped out of her thoughts. "Nothing." Shiey replied. She didn't wan to tell Dani that she used to live in the same part of town. Dani brought her to a house. And Shiey wasn't mistaken. This used to be her house. This used to be where she and Sanzo would play. Dani lived in the very same house she did. "Nobody's here, Dani. Let's go." Shiey said, trying to hide the fact that she was about to cry. But when Shiey looked at Dani, she was caught by surprise. Dani had an emotionless face. "No, I don't want to go yet." Dani said. "But Dani, we have to find you mother." Shiey said. "No. Don't hide it Shiey. I know you used to live here." Dani said. "What do you mean?" Shiey asked, trying to hold back the tears. "I came here to make you remember." Dani said. "What?" Shiey remarked. "I came from Lord Homura. He told me to help you remember your past." Dani said. "No… no way. Dani… I know you're not really like this. You're just trying to hide the pain of losing your mother." Shiey said. "Shut up! What do you know about me! Lord Homura will get what he wants." Dani said as she took a gun from her pocket. "Dani!" Shiey shouted in disbelief.

Flashback

Dani was running home when she saw her mom tied with ropes around her hands and feet. "Mom!" Dani yelled. Just then, a man with black hair and gold and blue eyes appeared behind her mother. "Who are you?" Dani asked. Just then, the man brought out his sword and placed it just below her mom's neck. "What do you want?" Dani asked. "I am Homura. I will gladly return your mother back to you if you do what I tell you to." Homura said. "Anything! Just please don't hurt my mom!" Dani shouted. "Good." And so, Homura lowered his sword and walked towards Dani. "We have a lot to talk about." Homura said

End of flashback

"Don't you get it! He'll kill my mom if I don't kill you!" Dani shouted. "I don't have a choice!" Dani yelled again. "No, you always have a choice. Now, please Dani, put the gun down." Shiey pleaded. "No! I won't!" Dani said, tears escaping from her eyes. "Homura will pay. I promise you'll get your mother back. Just, put the gun down." Shiey said, now, she was crying as well. "No! I won't do it!" Dani said. Shiey lost hope. "Okay then… if you want to kill me that bad… do it." Shiey said. Dani's eyes widened. "Come on, Dani. If it will get you your mom back, then do it. If it will make you happy, then do it." Shiey said. "Shiey…" Dani whispered. "Do it." Shiey said again. Dani closed her eyes and grasped the gun tight. Shiey shut her eyes and prepared for the worst.

BANG! The sound of the gunshot echoed in the air. But, it wasn't what she expected. Shiey opened her eyes and saw Dani lying on the floor, blood escaping from her chest. Shiey ran to her and kneeled beside her. "Dani! Pull yourself together! Hold on! Why did you shoot yourself?" Shiey said. Dani opened her eyes and smiled at Shiey. "Shiey… thank you… for helping me… y-you're right… I… always do have a choice…" Dani said, her breathing started becoming heavy. "Dani…" Shiey said, tears forming in her eyes. "Thank you…Shiey." Dani said. That was it. Those were her last words. Her heart stopped beating… and she died. "Dani… wake up. Dani… Dani!" Shiey exclaimed as tears fell down uncontrollably.

After a while, Hakkai, Gojyo and Goku arrived where Shiey was. "Shiey, what happened? Why are you crying?" Hakkai asked. "N-nothing." Shiey said, as she knelt down by the ground where she buried Dani. "Shiey…" Hakkai remarked. "Why? Why do children have to die? What was their crime?" Shiey said, sobbing uncontrollably into Hakkai's chest. "What happened here, Shiey?" Gojyo asked. And so, Shiey told the about Dani. "So, this was Homura's doing?" Hakkai asked. Shiey nodded a yes. "I promise… I'll get him. He's gonna pay." Shiey said as she looked at Dani's grave. "I promise, Dani." She thought.

And so, the next day, they continued their journey westward. "So, you used to live here, Shiey?" Goku asked. "Yes, Goku. I used to live here with my mom and Kouryuu." Shiey explained. "Oh, I see." Goku said. "So, you're going to get back at Homura, right?" Gojyo asked. "Yeah, that's what I plan to do." Shiey said as she looked up at the sky. "I won't let you down, Dani. I promise."

Author's note: Hey! How'd you guys like it? Well, I hope it wasn't too bad for your taste. I'll let you decide. So, please review! Thanks!