Wish
Chap.1
Tenpou rubbed his eyes as he sat up in bed, and glanced at the clock. Kanren had not woken him up and let him sleep through…well, something….it tickled the back of his head, saying he forgot to get up for something important. He stood and began dressing in his usual fashion when the door swung open to reveal an obviously angered dragon king.
"Oh, Gojun. What's wrong?"
"As if you don't know. We needed all the marshals to convince that earth gods to join heaven, you know. And the one marshal who could possibly calm them down then had to sleep through the entire damn meeting." Gojun's greeting couldn't be colder. "There's no telling whether or not they'll launch a war, and we certainly couldn't be caught at a worse time, what with our best fighter still under medical treatment." Tenpou knew he meant Nataku.
"It can't be all Tenpou's fault!" Kanren stepped in. "The marshals were called last night to a late meeting which ran til early morning. It's not his fault he couldn't get up."
"My apologies. It was not a mandatory meeting, you know."
"It was for his division!"
"Kanren, I have half a mind to simply have you removed from the army altogether right now." Gojun bared razor sharp fangs, which Tenpou had never seen before, for obvious reasons. He was quite sure they were sharper than they looked, and they looked incredibly sharp.
"Perhaps you're the one who needs to be removed." Kanren shot back. Gojun's ruby eyes narrowed.
"Perhaps you're right. Then I wouldn't have to deal with you idiots." His eyes glowed menacingly, but the dragon backed off nonetheless. Kanren stole a glance back at Tenpou, shook his head and exited the room. Tenpou was curious what the look in the general's eyes was. It was sad, yet held pity and shame. It was as if they were asking him, "Why do you always have to be you?"
Sadly, the marshal stole along the hall, trying to avoid conflict with anyone there and get to the meeting hall without conflict or arguments. Several people spotted him and pointed, glaring.
"Hey, isn't that the marshal who started this whole war notion?" They were always answered with nods, and more glares were aimed at Tenpou. He sighed in shame and swung open the doors, closing them behind him as he entered the meeting hall. Konzen had a well-aimed glare all ready for the marshal when he came in.
"Ten-chan! Ten-chan! Everyone's mad at you! Why?" Goku asked the man. Tenpou was glad the boy had not understood the nature of the other gods' anger. He didn't need to, either.
"You caused a war, you know." Konzen snapped. "This might devastate all of heaven."
Tenpou sat through the lecture, mostly Konzen and other military leaders insulting him. At long last, he stood and gathered his things.
"You're going to need the code of conduct for war." Konzen scoffed.
"Oh, yes. Goku, my ladder's right there. Could you get it for me?" Tenpou asked the boy. Eagerly, Goku hauled the ladder to the high shelf and started climbing it to get the book. It was then that Tenpou remembered he hadn't replaced the loose screw in the ladder. It began to wobble and Goku fell. He hit the ground hard and clutched his ankle.
"Ow!" He cried.
"Looks sprained." Konzen noted. Tenpou ran out of the room, ashamed, just as the book hit the ground. Goku stared after him.
"Ten-chan?"
Tenpou threw himself on his bed, and staring across the room at Kanren on his own bed, was tempted to wake him up and spill out all his troubles. But he had the feeling Kanren was mad at him, too, so did not dare.
He fell forward against his pillow and felt tears run down his cheeks.
"Sometimes…" He sobbed. "Sometimes, I just wish I didn't exist." He faded into sleep and the room was dark.
Then, in the darkest corner of the room, a Cheshire cat smile appeared.
"So shall you wish it, so shall it be."