Summary: Tenpou and Kenren dance. Goku picks flowers. Konzen has no regrets, and three butterflies flutter from the confines of Heaven. Warning: character death. Gaiden.
Disclaimer: Kazuya Minekura-sensei owns them. I do not. Now excuse me while I hide and weep over that.
"Can you ever be someone's sun?"
Tortured screams echo across the packed hall, followed by a gut-wrenching tear of sinew. Panicked, kami (1) of all ranks scramble to be the lucky that escape unscathed. A bone-shattering crunch sends ill-fated deities spiraling across a floor slick with blood. The stiff, iron scent of fresh blood drives the transformed boy into massacre overdrive, as the freed urge to destroy and to kill sings in his veins. With a fluid swipe of deadly nails, a fountain of crimson spurts out from the falling body of the next unfortunate victim. A soft splatter, as the crimson stains the walls and slides across the floor. And yet more cries ring in the ears of all who can hear, as the Heavenly army storms into the drafty hall, intent upon the silence of the boy. More cries, and the silenced patter of a sea of heavy boots.
The boy is having fun, and tosses a sideways glance at the newcomers that have come to join him in his "games". This is the power of the "Great Sage Equaling Heaven", Seiten Taisen. Languidly, he draws a tongue down one of the rivulets of scarlet cascading down his arm. Piercing golden eyes stare in silent mockery, and an unvoiced challenge calls to the soldiers.
The cigarette between Tenpou's lips droops slightly as a wry smile crosses his features. Backed up against Kenren and with a sword drawn in his hand, he cannot help but feel this is synonymous to a tragic drama. Kenren's drawling voice reaches his ears, and he cannot help but grin widely.
"Wonderful," and Kenren draws out that tranquilizer gun of his, "we're all rebels now, eh?"
An amused smile plays at his mouth, but dies at his eyes. "We're all fools, so we may as well dance." With little effort, Tenpou flies into the mass, sword flying.
He can barely remember his hand gripping his weapon, nor why he was there. Only a nagging feeling that he was desperately needed somewhere, and a persistent voice crying out for him. It was a persistent and…stupid voice; ignoring it was futile. The heavy, studded doors stood majestic and closed; a swift kick knocked them ajar, the boom resonating across the littered hall.
Within the depths of his mind, the voice gave a piercing cry, forcing Konzen to clasp his ears in a vain attempt to dim the jarring bowel. The keening cry drew out, fading into silence. Silence is normally welcomed, but when he is quiet, something terrible has befallen him or someone else.
The marble floor shone with an unnatural slickness, and Konzen felt, rather than saw, the liquid squelching. Blood. Disgust pulled at his mouth. The tinkle of metal on stone drew his violet eyes to look at the floor.
"Nande (2)…"
Scattered shards of the boy's diadem littered the ground, golden pieces gleaming dully as if paying penance, for failing to contain the Seiten Taisen, with their usual shine. If the limiter is broken, it can only mean one thing: Goku is in trouble.
Cursing under his breath, the boy's keeper runs in the direction of the shouts, sword slicing through air as it swings.
"Get back from him!"
The Dragon King of the Western Sea, Goujun, shouts the phrase in an attempt to keep his men from throwing their caution to the wind, and needless mutilation. His warning falls upon deaf ears; their desire for glory and honour has led them to forfeit their own lives. And as one soldier after another is cut down, all he can do is watch.
"Don't touch him!"
Strange emotions course through his mind, fighting for dominance. He can take care of himself, the old Konzen spouts, and the sword pauses for a second. Another emotion: love and the need to protect something, swells, poking him. Tossing what is left of his past persona away, he brandishes the unfamiliar sword light-saber style.
"Don't have any regrets."
Drained of energy, the small but lithe body of Goku-turned-Seiten Taisen lies motionless on the slick ground, almost oblivious to the events unfolding. Close enough for Konzen to hear his name being called, but too far to reach out and touch, his keeper does battle with the soldiers surrounding them both. Gleaming cruelly, a halberd poises high above the boy. Bordering on the edge of an unconscious stupor, he is barely able to open his eyes, much less dodge a simple attack.
Sparks shower as metal hits metal, the halberd resting on his keeper's sword, mere centimeters above Konzen's head. Clutching the Goku's limp body to his crimson-stained clothing, he crouches next to the one he needs to protect. A fierce light shines in his violet eyes, the sword still on guard.
"Touch him and I'll kill you."
"Well said, pretty boy," a familiar voice drawls. Konzen senses, rather than sees the arrival of Tenpou and Kenren. The former kneels down, placing a cool hand on the feverish boy's head. Quietly, "Konzen… Can you run with him?" Astonishment dawns in the amethyst eyes, sobering him. What they are offering is too much for him to take, but he must.
"Thank…you, Tenpou. Kenren."
Tenpou smiles in response, and turns to Kenren. "Care to dance, Ken-chan?" The addressee flashes a grin, "Don't mind if I do, Ten-chan." And the two whirl off, sword and gun dancing a dance of blood along with them. Goku lies unmoving in the arms of his keeper, and the two who are left behind slip off unnoticed for the time being.
"Hey, Konzen."
Oh gods, that old hag has come again, thought an irate Konzen. Paying Kanzeon Botatsu no mind, he continued writing the documents. Pausing to reload his brush, he looked up to see his aunt still leaning against the door. The ever-present grin on her face seemed to be exceptionally wide today, and for no reason that he could think of.
"Still here? What do you want, hag?"
Another one of those smiles crossed her lips, and a rather playful note entered her voice. "Now, now. That's no way to address me, Konzen-kun."
"Tch."
"What's this here?" A manicured finger pointed at the flowers on the desk, then on the glimmering shards of glass scattered across the floor.
Without looking up, Konzen answered, "The monkey put it here. He must have picked them from somewhere." He cast a brief glance at the shards, "Goku knocked the glass rose onto the floor."
"Isn't it beautiful?"
"What? I guess so…"
"You've changed, Konzen." She bent her head, her thick hair a living waterfall, so that her obstinate nephew failed to see the real smile on her hips.
"What are you talking about? Get lost, now!"
A sober expression flitted across her face, her vociferous voice dropping to a thoughtful murmur. "Isn't this good? Unchanging things are," she paused, "…boring. They'll always just be boring." Continuing, "Real flowers are much better than glass ones. The way the dewdrops upon their petals catch the sunlight, and the way the live is…different."
Her statement failed to evict anything but an awkward silence from the normally verbose Konzen.
"… I suppose."
Feverish, Goku lies still, albeit the occasional movement that shows he is in fact alive. Shallowly concealed concern is rampant on Konzen's face. A tiny moan escapes from the boy, but that is enough to make his guardian cringe in the fear of their possible discovery. Helpless to fight the boy's inner demons, he cannot do much else but stand sentential over Goku as the toy battles within himself and against himself.
"Don't have any regrets now." Is that something that old hag said?
Looking down at the boy lying in his lap, so defenseless and so fragile, Konzen cannot help but accept the truth. He has no talent for living, unlike Tenpou and Kenren; if boredom could kill, his brains would have already dissolved along with the rest of him. His reclusive and pale life was nothing but endless monotony and stale patterns, and he accepted that. He resigned himself to the drab comforts of Heaven until…
That annoying little monkey came along.
Then it came to mind that it was impossible to take his eyes off the boy for more than a second, lest he run headlong into mischief. Next, it was his throat and stomach muscles. Good gods, do you really use your stomach muscles when you shout? Konzen's legs were next; he runs unnaturally fast for such a small boy, and goes wherever he pleases. After that, his shoulders began to ache from constantly looking down at the runt, who only came up to his waist. The kid's golden eyes stared immodestly into yours, and there was no choice but to stop your current activity to look into his own. Then the will to say "no" to Goku disappeared, and Konzen found himself being dragged places more and more often. And then…
He started to think about what he could do, as opposed to simply being content with his old life. And it is all thanks to the little runt resting on his lap. A small smile creeps across Konzen's lips, and he brushes away a stray lock of hair on the boy's face.
"Ya think they're in there?"
"Whatever, check anyways."
Konzen chokes back a startled gasp, pulling Goku to him. It has come to this, so it seems. Tenpou and Kenren… He sighs inwardly, honouring their memories.
"Can you be the sun for that little guy?" Kanzeon Botatsu, that old clone… No. I'm not anyone's sun. It's the other way around…
The shouts become louder, leaving no room for thought. Outside, one half of his mind screams, get outside before they come! Shut up, says the other half, I'm tired of running.
And face them he will.
"Those who become enemies of Heaven have commited a crime that has a special death penalty attached to it! You'll regret it when you're dying!"
"The one who is the sun…"
"… I have no regrets." With these words, the sword is out again and flashing.
The noise…Goku wishes to cradle his head and mute the sounds of clashing, but he cannot find the strength to even open his eyes. But there is a familiar voice among the clamour, and it soothes him. Wearily, one golden eye opens to survey the scene. "Kon… Konzen?"
"Yah! Get him!"
The sands in the hourglass of time drop each grain in suspended time, slowing everything down. Goku flinches from the fatal blow he cannot avoid in his condition. The soldier slices through the air, long sword gleaming. And Konzen…
"The one who is the sun… I have no regrets."
Warm, crimson liquid waterfalls from the gaping wound the sword has rented and a body falls, golden tresses fluttering gently in the wake. The patch of flowers he lands on sends up a sudden spray of fragrance, and he cannot help but notice that the flowers are violets. The rapidly spreading blood soaks his clothing, dying the once-clean cloth sickening shades of scarlet. Biting his lip to restrain himself from screaming aloud, he steadies his shaking arm whilst putting a hand on that idiot's head.
"You idiot monkey…" His words bear none of the usual harshness, and there is a small, but gentle smile playing on his lips. There is quiet, he notices. The soldiers must have fled in fear, terrified to face the crushing reality of their actions.
Wide eyes stare into his own, traces of tears welling up in them, "Konzen, you're bleeding."
A wry grin and the biting tone returns to his voice as quickly as it left, "No, really." Noticing the droplets that hit his face, he is immediately regretful. "Stop crying."
The boy sniffs loudly, but the tears continue to stream down his rosy cheeks. "Konzen, are you…?" Another loud snuffle interrupts Goku's train of speech.
Konzen considers spinning a tale of how he's only going to go away for a short while, but cannot bring himself to. Bluntness has always been a quality of his. "Yes," he replies softly, "I'm dying..." "...Bakasaru (3)," and he brushes away several strands of soaked hair, with a trembling hand that threatens to betray how weak he is, "listen to me."
Coloured flashes dance in spirals, toying with his vision and blurring it. Konzen is beginning to find it hard to focus on the golden-eyed brunet kneeling by his side. The light fragrance of violets is slowly becoming stronger, and it is draining to continue talking. But he has to finish, or the monkey is going to be sad.
"Don't cry, okay? I'll be back," he coughs violently before proceeding to speak faster, "Not as the person you see right now, but I promise…I'll come back."
Goku sniffles, and then nods voraciously. The sun will always set at dusk, and then rise again to shine over the world at daybreak; this is a concept Goku understands. A last tear breaks free, and spirals downwards as a crystalline sphere.
The feather-light brush of Konzen's fingers against his cheek is the last time he feels the warm touch of his sun's long fingers. The sweet smile that touches Konzen's features is his final gift to the child, as eyelids slide shut over violet eyes.
"I'll come back…"
As his arm drops lifelessly to the ground, three butterflies, scarlet, malachite and violet respectively, take flight from amongst the violets, dipping and fluttering into the resplendent glow of the setting sun.
(1) God, deity
(2) What
(3) Stupid monkey
In China, a butterfly is a symbol for longevity and young men in love; in Japan, it represents young maidenhood and marital happiness. Papilio/Papillionis is Latin for "butterfly"; in ancient Greek, the butterfly is associated with the souls of the dead.
Wow, I have officially finished my first-ever Saiyuki fic. I apologize for frequent and unexpected tense changes, traumatizing events and any other errors that I may have made. Hehehe, the three colours mentioned at the end have their significance. Why verdant, instead of blue, is a question that I asked myself. Personally, green is more of Hakkai's colour than blue. Thank you glomps go out to Sylvina and Mufy, my beta readers for many corrections, and arigato gozimasu to Sophie for reading. Comments are welcomed with open arms! Until next time, happy reading!