Title: Hakkai's Surprise

Rating: T

Summary: Kanan took her own life because she believed the child inside her to be Hyakugan Maoh's, but what if it was really Gonou's? A year post facto, Hakkai's been living with Gojyo for a while, and they've fallen into the commonplace normalcy of life (punctuated with visits from Sanzo and his pet monkey). But when a young girl comes bearing an announcement and another chance, what will happen to our beloved human-turned-youkai?

Chapter the first: The Truth Will Set You Free (and in this case knock you up)

AN: I am so, so sorry that I left you with that cliffhanger for two days longer than I was supposed to. I just didn't have time to post. I'm really, really sorry. ;;

"You're Sha Gojyo, aren't you?" A deceptively sweet voice asked. The crimson-haired hanyou ventured a look at the visitor, and was rewarded with an eyeful of almost otherworldly feminine beauty. The woman at his door had a long, unruly mane of fluffy white hair, and bright green eyes that rivaled Hakkai's. She was dressed in a tunic and pants, leaving no part of her uncovered and everything to the imagination.

"Yes, I am. What can I do for you?" Gojyo asked.

"Be a sweetie, Gojyo-san, and go fetch Cho Gonou for me?" Immediately, all thoughts of seducing the pretty woman in front of him vanished. Gojyo bristled uncomfortably at his roommate's old name. A dark-skinned young man strode elegantly up to the young woman. He was wearing a dark green tank top and khaki pants. Barely visible down his right arm, in large black letters, was what Gojyo could only assume was a name: JYUUSEII.

"I'm sorry, my lifemate is mistaken. We aren't looking for Cho Gonou." Gojyo visibly relaxed, but only slightly. "Does Cho Hakkai happen to live here?" Apparently, the aforementioned heard his name, because he walked over to the door.

"I am Cho Hakkai." The human-turned-youkai said sweetly.

"'Kai, you know these people?" Gojyo asked incredulously. Hakkai smiled gently at him.

"No, but they seem harmless enough." Then he spoke to the two. "What is your business with me?" The young man bowed respectfully.

"I am Kazak Jyuuseii, and this is my lifemate, Sin Jihira. If we may have a moment of your time, Hakkai-san," at this the young man's knowing brown eyes met Gojyo's crimson, "preferably alone." The young woman, Sin Jihira, grabbed Hakkai's wrist.

"No time to lose, Hakkai-san! So much to say!" A speechless Hakkai was dragged along behind a bouncy Jihira.

"Don't worry, we mean no harm." Jyuuseii smiled sweetly, before pursuing his wife and her captive. For some strange reason, even with every screwed up thing happening lately, Gojyo believed the dark-skinned young man. Enough to shut his door and go back inside for a round of severe chain-smoking.

"I'm what?" Hakkai's voice sounded incredulous, near-panicked, confused, and altogether not buying what he had just heard.

"Pregnant, Hakkai-san. With child, expecting, in the family way, and all the other possible ways to say 'YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A BABY!'" Jihira shrieked. Jyuuseii smacked his forehead, dragging his hand slowly down his face.

"Pardon my lifemate, she gets overexcited," Jyuuseii explained sheepishly. Hakkai, of course, was still trying to process what he had just been told.

"How is it possible? I'm...I'm a man, in case you didn't notice!" Jihira laughed.

"As if that makes a difference, Hakkai-san!"

"Of course it makes a difference! ...Doesn't it?"

"Not really. Youkai are built differently from humans." Jyuuseii chimed in.

"But...it still shouldn't be possible. Don't you need special...equipment to be pregnant?"

"In most general species of youkai, the 'equipment' you speak of doesn't form until after conception. This is true for both males and females."

"Luckily, you didn't turn into one of the exceptions." Jihira smiled. "'Twas easy enough to recreate conception inside you. Nature took it from there."

"How could I not notice new organs forming inside of me?"

"Your chi. Your chi is so abnormally large that it was able to prevent you from feeling the development while still being there for your Qigong. Until just recently, obviously."

"Then I'm really...? But how? I haven't..." Coherent sentences were just beyond the normally composed Hakkai at the moment.

"Slept with anyone? No. Cho Hakkai is abstinent. Cho Gonou was not." Jyuuseii sighed. This was not going to be easy. "Your lover, Kanan, took her life because she was carrying her rapist's child. At least, that's what she believed." Emerald eyes widened, and Hakkai looked as though someone had just slapped him hard.

"Then, she wasn't pregnant...at all?" Jyuuseii resisted the urge to smack himself in the forehead again.

"You're not following me, Hakkai-san. Kanan was right about one thing, she was pregnant when she took her life. But not with her rapist's child. Iie, it was your child growing within her, not Hyakugan Maoh's." Jyuuseii's voice was calm, yet gentle. Slowly, Hakkai's hand sought a tree behind him, and he slid to the ground, eyes wide. He looked absolutely stunned. The youkai buried his head in his hands, clenching his long fingers in his dark hair.

"No...No, it can't be true." Hakkai's eyes were screwed shut, as if to block out the two beings' words. He refused to believe what he had just heard. It wasn't true, none of what they were saying was true. Kanan hadn't been pregnant with his child, and he certainly wasn't with child now. He didn't understand what these two stood to gain from these lies, but he wasn't buying into it anymore.

"Hakkai-san, Jyuuseii is telling the truth. There was just no way for Kanan to have known that the child was yours." Jihira, having lost her bubblyness, tried to console Hakkai. Hakkai looked up at her, his eyes dull and his jaw set. His face had the look of a man who has lost the ability to care.

"Then, I failed her again." His voice came as barely a whisper, but Jihira heard it. Her brow twitched in irritation, and she smacked Hakkai hard.

"Baka! You never even failed Kanan once! You almost got killed on your quest to find her, so strong was your devotion to her! Even if you couldn't prevent her suicide, the sole fact that you loved her enough to risk your life for her was enough to save her! And though I never got to meet her personally, I'm sure that wherever she is she loves you just as much as she did on earth!" Jihira was pissed. Hakkai was being a self-depreciating bastard! Yet even as she yelled at him, the dullness left Hakkai's eyes and tears welled in them. He turned his eyes back down to his lap, focusing on his hands as tears spilled from his eyes.

"After she died, she found out that the child was indeed yours. She had the choice of keeping the child in heaven, or giving its spirit to us until a second chance for it to be born arose. She knew that you loved her more than life itself, so she gave the child up so that we could give it to you." Jyuuseii's gentle voice was closer, as the dark-skinned man was crouched beside Hakkai. "Of course, we obviously had to wait until you were fully recovered before we could bestow the child within you. There were questions about whether the child's spirit was still viable after all this time, which is why we waited three months before coming to you."

"That, and it's the max amount of time we're allowed before we have to tell you what's going on," Jihira added helpfully.

"Think of this as sort of...Kanan's way of apologizing for having to leave you." Jyuuseii smiled. "By the way, the baby is a girl." Hakkai's gaze was still focused on his hands. He didn't notice that he was completely alone now, Jihira and Jyuuseii had disappeared.

"A...girl." A hand lifted slightly to rest against his stomach and he leaned his head back, closing his eyes as a soft, sad smile played across his lips. "Thank you...Kanan."

Culture notes: No, Jyuuseii's skin color has nothing to do with the fact that he keeps calling Jihira his lifemate. He only does that because he's an old hippie like that. P

Language notes: Iie no. Baka fool, idiot, ass, etc. And yes, I italicize all foreign words and words for emphasis. Hopefully you'll be able to tell the difference.

Canon notes: Obviously, I'm tossing canon to the wind in this story. For the most part. The idea just sort of popped into my head and wouldn't go away. 3 But expect a few attempts to make it somewhat feasible, as it does take place in the three years between when the four meet and when they go off to save the world, so just play along. ;)

Canon notes II: The comment on the size of Hakkai's chi is based on a similar comment in volume one of the manga. That comment was 'Such huge chi!' accompanied by an OO face. xD