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?
Epilogue: Discovery
Goku was unloading Jiipu, hauling the bags out of the back. He lifted Hakkai's bag over the side, when a small golden disc fell out of a partially-unzipped pocket. Goku let go of the bag, crouching to get a closer look at the little metal disc. He picked it up, and saw that it had a little clasp. He popped it open. One side was empty, but the other looked like it contained a little screen.
"What's this for?" It was plucked from his hands swiftly. He turned around, falling on his butt. Standing above him was Gojyo, who was holding the gold disc appraisingly.
"Mind telling me why you were going through Hakkai's bag, saru?" The hanyou asked, raising an eyebrow at Goku.
"I-I wasn't! It fell out!" Goku argued.
"Sure it did. You're a bad liar, you know." Gojyo put the disc back in its proper pocket, zipping it securely and tossing the bag onto Goku. "Be glad I was the one who caught you." The redhead lit a cigarette (he'd started smoking again), walking casually away. Goku, a bit stunned and still very curious about what was so important about the little golden disc, sat there for a minute with Hakkai's bag on his lap. Jiipu chirped agitatedly, as if to say 'Get all of this junk out of me, stupid, so I don't have to stay like this all night'. Goku got to his feet, putting Hakkai's bag aside, and finished unloading Jiipu. The car transformed into the white dragon, perching on Goku's head as the monkey king picked up all of the unloaded bags.
"What's keeping you, baka saru?" Sanzo growled.
"It really wasn't fair of us to saddle him with everything." Hakkai said, walking over. He took his bag and Gojyo's from Goku, tossing Gojyo's to the hanyou. Hakuryu flew off of Goku's head, preferring Hakkai's shoulder.
"And why is Priesty the only one not pulling his weight?" Gojyo asked.
"Because I'm the one who paid for your room." Sanzo said, lighting a Marlboro. "And by the way, you're rooming with the monkey."
"I don't wanna sleep with the hentai kappa!" Goku whined, at the same moment as Gojyo exclaimed 'No way am I rooming with the saru!' Hakkai found it necessary to play peacemaker.
"Now now, I'm sure that it won't be so bad."
"The mini-monkey talks about food in his sleep!" Gojyo yelled, pointing at Goku.
"Yeah, well, you snore, nympho kappa!" Goku argued.
"Chibi chimp!"
"Perverted cockroach!" The two continued slinging insults at each other.
"Yare-yare..." Hakkai shook his head, hiding a laugh. Sanzo was getting pissed.
"Shut up, both of you!" He yelled, smacking them both in the head with his harisen. Which, of course, just dragged Sanzo into the argument. Wisely, Hakkai stayed out of it. He had learned by now that there was nothing he could do to help.
A few hours later, they were each in their different rooms, Hakkai and Sanzo in one, Gojyo and Goku in the other. Hakkai was lying in his bed, absently rubbing the golden disc. He couldn't, of course, use it tonight with Sanzo in the room, but its presence was somewhat comforting.
Of course he missed his daughter terribly – what parent wouldn't miss their child – but every tragedy that they came across served only to remind him why he was on this quest in the first place. He was on no one's side but his own, and he had his own motives for fighting to destroy the minus wave. He was fighting so that his little girl didn't have to grow up in fear that the youkai would attack. Every time that he opened the coin-shaped transmitter and saw his Kanan-chan, his strength was renewed and his goal made fresh in his mind.
He was fighting to protect his beloved daughter, whose voice he hadn't heard since he had left for this journey. And he was surviving so that one day he could return to her. That night, before he fell asleep, he heard a faint echo of his daughter's voice.
"Love you, Tou-chan."
Language notes: Saru - monkey, baka saru - stupid monkey, hentai kappa - perverted water sprite, kappa - water sprite, chibi - kid (derogatory), yare-yare - good grief, harisen - paper fan
Author notes: As a sleep-talker myself, I just have the mental image of Goku talking about food in his sleep (and trying to eat his pillow). Yes, I know, I said that this chapter would probably be shorter than the prologue, but really, are you disappointed that it wasn't? Oo;
Sequel notes: There is a sequel planned for this story. Actually, it's completed. All I have to do is post it, which I'm probably going to be too lazy to do until school lets out. -sweatdrop-