Disclaimer: I don't own anybody in Saiyuki! They all belong to Kazuya Minekura!

Author's note: Hey! I'm really sorry if I haven't updated for a while. School started and I'm really stressed out almost everyday! I'm in the seventh grade and it's really hard! Well, hope you enjoy chapter 14! Read and review!

Chapter 14: Opposites

They continued traveling westward. Shiey had tried and tried not to remember what happened to Dani… but she couldn't help thinking that Homura was behind it. She was only a child and had no choice, it was do it, or Homura would kill her mother. She was almost like Shiey. Only… Dani was more courageous than Shiey. She had ventured out to find her mother all on her own. Shiey didn't do that… although many times, she thought about doing so, but… she just didn't find it right to leave and find her mother… or Kouryuu. Her thoughts were interrupted by Goku's snoring. Goku was sleeping contently in the jeep, Sanzo was enjoying the peace and quiet, Gojyo was looking at her, and when he recognized that Shiey was looking at him, he smiled and looked away. And Hakkai… he was driving. He took a quick glance at Shiey and gave her a smile. She smiled back at him and went back to her thoughts. That was right… if she had gotten out of the forest, he might never had the chance to see Kouryuu again, or meet Hakkai, Goku or Gojyo. Everything turned out for the best. But then, her thoughts went back to Dani. Homura would definitely pay for this… he would. "I'll take care of it, Dani." She whispered to herself.

They stopped at a town to catch some lunch. "Ms! I'd like everything on the menu please!" Goku exclaimed. The young waitress smiled queerly and nodded, then she went back to the kitchen to fetch their order. "Man, am I starving!" Goku remarked. "I can't wait to eat all of it!" Goku exclaimed. At this, Gojyo glared at him, "What do you mean eat everything! Save some for the rest of us!" he argued. "Sure, I will. But only for Sanzo, Shiey and Hakkai. I won't leave any for you." Goku teased. "Why you…!" Gojyo yelled as he plunged at Goku, hitting him a few times. "SHUT UP!" Sanzo yelled as he fired his gun in the air. Everybody in the restaurant was silent. Goku and Gojyo sweat dropped, and knowing what to do, they sat down and waited for the food. Meanwhile, while Hakkai was chuckling, he noticed that Shiey wasn't reacting to anything. She just sat there and seemed as if she was deep in thought. He managed to guess right, that she was thinking about what happened to Dani. "Shiey, are you okay?" he asked. Shiey scrambled out of her thoughts and replied, "Y-yeah! I'm fine. I'm just thinking, that's all…" she explained. Hakkai smiled, "Don't worry about it anymore, Shiey." He reassured. Shiey smiled and nodded. There was nothing to think about anymore. She would definitely not worry anymore. Hakkai was right. It would heal in time. Their order came and they started eating. After eating their lunch, they proceeded to continue their journey.

While on their way, everybody was quiet, doing their own thing. Sanzo was asleep, and so were Gojyo and Goku. Hakkai was, of course, driving. And Shiey was just staring at the way. It was a beautiful day. Birds were singing, it was windy, so it didn't seem that hot. Shiey was bored out of her brain. She knew that she shouldn't think about Dani anymore; because she'd end beating herself up in the end. "Hey Shiey," Hakkai broke the silence. "Yeah?" Shiey asked. "Nothing…" Hakkai knew that he had nothing to say, but he wanted to break the awkward silence. "It's already after noon and no assassins nor demons have attacked us yet." Shiey observed. Hakkai smiled, but then he stepped on the brakes and looked straight ahead. "What is it?" Sanzo asked, waking up. And pretty soon, so did Gojyo and Goku. "Shiey, I think you said that too soon." Hakkai remarked. And sure enough, ahead of them were a lot of demons. "Ready?" Gojyo asked. "Yeah, I need exercise too, you know?" Goku replied, summoning his weapon and running towards the demons, together with Gojyo. "Let's have a contest. The one who kills the most demons between the two of us wins." Gojyo offered. "No problem!" Goku yelled as he started attacking. Hakkai, Shiey and Sanzo joined them pretty soon to help. "I'm at 50." Goku said. "Too bad, monkey. I'm already on 80." Said Gojyo.

In Tenkai…

"Well, here's some fun I can watch for a while." Kanzeon said as she sat down. "It's been boring these past few days…" she commented. Then, she saw Shiey fighting. A sly grin appeared on her face as she thought of something that could give her entertainment for some time. "Let's see if you're strong enough for this challenge, Shiey." She said as she gave out a laugh.

"How many did you get?" Gojyo asked. "Ha! I got 120! Beat that!" Goku bragged. "Too bad, monkey. I got 150. Loser! Loser!" Gojyo teased. "No fair! You cheated!" Goku accused. "Hey! I didn't cheat, monkey loser! I won fair and square!" Gojyo defended. "Oh yeah?" Goku said "Yeah!" Gojyo yelled. "Shut up or I'll kill you!" Sanzo said, pointing his gun at the two. "I swear, someday I'm really going to kill you." Sanzo said, putting his gun away. "Well, since it's almost dark, why don't we camp here tonight?" Hakkai suggested. "Yeah, we better start preparing then." Shiey said.

And so, they started fixing their tents and Hakkai prepared their supper. Sanzo was out in the clearing, sitting by a huge rock. Shiey, who was helping Hakkai, looked in Sanzo's direction. "Hakkai," she said. "Is it okay if I go to Sanzo for a while?" she asked. "Sure." Hakkai said with a smile. So, Shiey made her way towards Sanzo. Sensing a presence, Sanzo took his gun from his pocket and pointed it at the suspected 'attacker'. "It's me! It's me! Shiey shouted. Sanzo looked at her and tucked it away once more. "What do you want?" he asked. "Well, basically, I don't know." Shiey said. "Then what did you come here for?" Sanzo asked. "Well, I'm having a feeling that someone's watching us. And they're pretty close by." Shiey said. "Could it be Homura?" Sanzo asked. "I don't know. But, I don't think that they're demons." Shiey clarified. Sanzo didn't respond. And for a while, there was silence. "Supper's almost ready. You better go back to camp." Shiey advised as she took her leave. "Yeah." Sanzo replied.

Then, they had their dinner. It was nothing fancy, and since they hadn't bought supplies yet, they were running low on food. "Hakkai, are there any more spring rolls? I'm still hungry!" Goku complained. "I'm sorry, Goku. But, I divided them equally among all of us. There're no more left." Hakkai replied. "Aw, man." Goku whined. Just then, a spring roll appeared on his plate. He followed the source and saw that it was Shiey. "Are you sure?" Goku asked. Shiey smiled and nodded a yes. "Thank you, Shiey!" Goku beamed as he ate the spring roll with eagerness. Hakkai managed to smile at what Shiey had done.

After supper, they decided to do whatever they wanted to do. Goku and Sanzo decided to go to bed early. While Gojyo, Hakkai and Shiey were still outside, sitting on the ground, looking up at the stars. "It's a clear night tonight." Gojyo remarked. "Yes." Hakkai agreed. "There are so many stars." Shiey observed as she wrapped her arms around her. "Shiey, are you cold?" Gojyo asked. "Kind of." Shiey replied. Just then, two strong arms wrapped around her, keeping her warm. She looked to see that it was Hakkai. Gojyo grinned, "I'll be leaving you two love birds alone now." He said as he went inside his tent. "Hakkai?" Shiey said, confusion in her tone. "What? Is it bothering you?" Hakkai asked. "No, it's just… never mind." She said as she enjoyed the closeness she and Hakkai were sharing. It had been a while since they were last alone. She smiled at the thought. Just then, Hakkai let go of her and their eyes met. She was looking deep at his emerald green eyes and he was looking at her warm brown and blue eyes. They lost themselves in each other's gazes and felt so overwhelmed by a feeling that seemed so unnatural to them: love. Hakkai leaned forward to kiss her and so did Shiey. Their lips met and they shared a passionate kiss. Shiey wrapped her arms around Hakkai's neck and Hakkai secured Shiey by holding her around her waist. After a while, they pulled away, looking at each other's eyes. Then they smiled at each other and Hakkai hugged her again. "I wish we could be like this forever…" Shiey said. "Me too." Hakkai agreed. They were in that position for quite sometime, then Shiey said, "We should go to sleep already, it's getting late." Hakkai agreed as they both walked back to their tents. "Good night." Shiey said. "I love you, Shiey. Good night." Hakkai said. "I love you, too." Shiey said as a smiled covered her lips.

Shiey woke up very early in the morning and knew that no one else was up yet. She went outside her tent and looked at the rising sun. Just then, she heard the sound of running water. And since it had been some time before she last took a bath, she decided to go and have one. She grabbed her backpack and followed the sound of water. She arrived pretty soon at a lake. The lake was beautiful. It had crystal blue waters and you could see the bottom. She took her clothes off and went inside the lake. She shivered, as the water was cold, but pretty soon, she got used to it. She scrubbed her body and then she went underwater to wet her hair. Just when she was about to go back to the surface, she felt a strong force from deep within the lake, pulling her down and trapping her there. She tried shouting, but she only swallowed more water. Shiey woke up after a while and saw that she was in a dark place that was lit by only one light bulb. It was enough to see her surroundings, but it wasn't that bright. She looked around and saw that there were mirrors of every sort hanging from the walls. "Hello?" she asked. Just then, a figure emerged from the darkness. And when she was able to see clearly what it was, she was utterly shocked. There, stood in front of her… was… basically…HER. Shiey was looking at herself. It was like a reflection, but real. She observed her carefully and saw something different. The face of the girl standing in front of her wasn't like hers. The expressions were different. She had a look on her face that looked like she was out to do something bad and terrible. "Who… are you?" Shiey asked. "I'm you." Answered the girl simply. "I'm the other side of you. The side that is locked deep inside you. I'm simply… you're opposite." Said the girl. "Why are you here?" Shiey asked. "I pity you. I'm going to replace you in this world and you can rot here forever for all I care." The girl said. "Replace me?" Shiey said. "Yeah. And there's nothing you can do about it. I'm the only one who can enter and exit this mirror of reflections." Said the girl. "What do you plan on doing?" Shiey asked, anxiousness in her eyes. "I'm going to ruin your life and lead the life I want. So, as of now, my name is Shiey. Shiey Tamaya. And you… you are an imposter. So, if you'll excuse me, I have to go." She said as she stepped out of the mirror and out into the world. "This can't be happening…" Shiey remarked.

Shiey! Shiey!" Goku called. They have been looking for Shiey the whole morning. Suddenly, something, or rather, someone emerged from the forest. "Shiey! It's you!" Goku yelled as he came to meet Shiey. "I just took a bath, what do you care? You don't need to worry about me, I can take care of myself." Shiey said in a voice they knew Shiey would never use. "Shiey…" Hakkai said. "So, what's for breakfast?" Shiey asked. "Um well, I still have to prepare." Hakkai said. "Well, hurry up!" Shiey yelled as she went inside her tent. "Sanzo." Gojyo said. "I know. Something's not right." Sanzo concluded.

Shiey tried and tried to escape the trap she was in, but it was useless. It was as if there was an invisible boundary that kept her from escaping. That so-called Shiey was out there doing things she knew wasn't pleasant. And she couldn't do anything about it. She felt so useless. Just then, it hit her, "If she is an exact reflection of who I am, then that means… she has celestial powers…" at the thought, Shiey broke down and cried. The ones she loved were going to die, and…she was the one who was going to kill them.

They started eating their breakfast. Everyone was silent. Just then, Sanzo spoke up. "You're not Shiey, are you?" he said. Shiey glared at him and replied, "And so what if I'm not?" she said standing up. "What did you do to Shiey!" Hakkai demanded. "Shush." She said as she placed her finger on Hakkai's lips. Then, she kissed him. Everybody was shocked. Including Hakkai. Hakkai caught her hand and pulled away. "What did you do to Shiey!" he asked again. "I wouldn't tell you. She's locked away right now." She explained. "What did you do to Shiey!" Goku said as he leapt up in the air and was about to punch her when Sanzo stopped him. "Goku, don't hurt her. If you hurt her, you'll also hurt Shiey." Sanzo said. "But, how will we get Shiey back?" asked Goku, worry in his eyes. "I don't have the slightest idea." Sanzo replied. "I can't believe you. Why don't you fight me? Fine, if you want it that way." She said as she attacked each one of them with a power blast, causing them to fall to the ground. "Sanzo, I don't want to keep losing like this. We have to do something." Gojyo said. "I know. But whatever it is we have to do, we can't hurt Shiey." Sanzo clarified. "You guys are pathetic excuses for men." She insulted. She attacked them once again, this time harder. "Sanzo, what do we do?" Hakkai asked. Sanzo didn't reply. "We have to wait, I'm sure Shiey will pull through this." Sanzo said.

Shiey was kneeling on the ground, crying. She was so stupid. Why did she go without telling anyone? She sat down, knowing there was nothing more she could do. She stared at the mirrors and stood up to see her reflection.

"I am you. I'm the other side of you. I'm your reflection…"

Shiey couldn't forget those words. Then, it came to her. She knew how to defeat herself. Play fire with fire. She took a mirror from the wall and smashed it, breaking it to tiny little pieces.

"Sanzo, I can't hold this barrier any longer." Hakkai said. Just then, Shiey withdrew and just simply stood there. "I'll give you a chance." She said. "Attack me." She declared. Hakkai, Sanzo, Gojyo and Goku were speechless. "Fine, you don't want to? Then, it's my turn." Shiey said as she ran towards them, ready to kill them in one blow.

"I have to do this…" Shiey convinced herself. She took a piece of glass and held it in her hands. "It's the only way…" she said. And with those words, she plunged the piece of glass into her chest… straight into her chest.

Suddenly, the so-called Shiey stopped. She stood there and suddenly, a wound appeared on her chest, bleeding badly. "What the?" she exclaimed. "What did you do?" she yelled to no one in particular. Just then, another wound appeared on the left side of her chest. This one was bigger. Then, suddenly, she screamed and then she melted to the ground.

Shiey felt weak… she had managed to plunge two sharp pieces of glass through her chest. Right now, her whole body felt numb. And a lot of blood was escaping from her wound. Suddenly, she felt like the barrier in front of her smashed and freed her from her prison. She wasn't able to swim to the surface of the lake, because she passed out before she could do so.

The four men were bewildered. Just then, a figure emerged from the ground, a figure of a girl… It was Shiey. The four men ran to her and kneeled beside her. "This must be the real Shiey." Hakkai said. They looked at her. There were two pieces of glass that were still buried into her skin and she looked as pale as a ghost. Sanzo carefully took it off and threw it aside. "She hurt herself. Why?" Gojyo asked. "I don't know. But, we'll know when she wakes up." Sanzo said. "Who could've done this?" Goku asked. "Whoever it is… they sure had the nerve to mess with the Sanzo party." Sanzo said. "Sanzo, she's not breathing anymore." Hakkai declared. "What!" Sanzo yelled.

Just then, a bright light came from the sky. They all covered their eyes from the light. And when the light faded, a figure of a woman in a long ponytail emerged. "Sanzo… who's that?" Goku asked. "I have a hunch… but I hope I'm wrong." Sanzo said as the woman made her way to them. "Sheesh, what's all the trouble about?" she asked in a nonchalant tone. And when they finally saw her clearly, Sanzo closed his eyes in disappointment. "It's you again… what do you want this time?" Sanzo said in annoyance. "I say, I merely wanted to help you and your sister over here." Kanzeon said in a tone Sanzo hated so much. She walked over to Hakkai, who had Shiey wrapped around his arms. "Hand her to me." She said as Hakkai stood up and carefully placed Shiey in the care of Kanzeon. "Why do you want to help?" Gojyo asked. "Yeah." Goku agreed. No reply came from Kanzeon, she just gave them a sneaky look. "You were behind all of this, weren't you!" Sanzo yelled. "Oh, what the hell… all I wanted was to catch some fun." Kanzeon blurted out as she placed her hand on Shiey's chest. "She lost quite a lot of blood." Hakkai informed. "Don't worry 'bout it. Leave it to me." Kanzeon said as she walked towards Sanzo. "I'll just get some blood from a blood relative." She said as stopped right in front of Sanzo. Sanzo, on the other hand, knew exactly what she was going to do. "Don't you dare." He said, pulling out his gun. "I'm just messing with you." She laughed as she made her way towards Shiey again. Then, she placed her hands on Shiey's chest and then, a light appeared. After the light had gone out, Shiey was completely healed and she had her normal color again. And most of all… she was breathing again. "There. That should do it." Kanzeon said as she vanished into thin air. Hakkai and Sanzo ran to Shiey and looked at her. Hakkai took her in his arms. "We better get going." Sanzo said as he made his way to jeep. Hakkai, Gojyo and Goku followed shortly after. They drove on to a nearby town and stopped there to rest until the next day.